It’s true that Five Guys offer fantastic burgers, and their hotdogs are just as good (see more). But part of the reason why their burgers and hotdogs are so great is that you have up to 15 toppings and sauces to choose from. That’s not even counting the applewood-smoked bacon.
We asked a mathematician buddy of ours as to how many possible combinations that makes. The answer is 215, or 32,768 combinations. To put that in proper perspective, if you eat a burger or a hotdog every day at Five Guys, you’ll need almost 90 years to try every possible combination.
If we add bacon to the list, that’s 216 or 65,536 possible combinations. And you’ll need almost 180 years to try all those combos.
Since you probably won’t live another 180 years to try all these combinations of toppings, here’s a quick overview on the toppings to help you make your choices.
1. Bacon
This may not be technically listed as a topping, but it’s actually a topping option. You just need to order a bacon cheeseburger instead of a regular burger. That means they’re putting in 6 strips of applewood-smoked bacon that really enhances the burger.
Everything’s better with bacon, and this is another piece of evidence to back up that contention. Ask for extra bacon and they might just give you more without an extra charge.
2. Cheese
It’s true that you can go without cheese when you’re ordering a burger or hotdog, but why? It’s true that Five Guys doesn’t exactly serve gourmet cheese for their sandwiches. You just get the Kraft American cheese. And it’s fantastic when the melty cheese sits right there between the patties. Each bite seems a lot more special. Also, they keep the various other toppings together, so you won’t have the grilled onions spilling out of the bun.
3. Pickles
This is actually the most popular among the toppings, next to the bacon and cheese (which aren’t listed as toppings at all). Ask for pickles, and you’ll get 5 Mount Olive pickles. Mount Olive has been in the pickles business since the 1920s, so they know what they’re about. They’re fresh from North Carolina.
These pickles add this nice complementary briny and salty flavor, along with a nice crunch.
4. Lettuce
If the pickles alone aren’t giving you enough crunch, add some lettuce to the mix. The lettuce also helps to keep the pickles in place, so you can still eat the burger without a knife and fork to avoid a mess. For optimum freshness, the guys at Five Guys tear the lettuce by hand.
5. Tomatoes
This is an extremely popular option, since your typical Five Guys location uses up to 350 pounds of tomatoes per week.
Five Guys places 2 slices of the tomatoes on your burger, ensuring that you get the ideal amount of tomato with each bite.
6. Onions (Fresh or Grilled)
For most people, the grilled onions are better. The sweet and savory taste really enhances the overall flavor.
But you don’t have to be most people, so it’s up to you. You can even ask for a portion of grilled onions and some fresh onions as well.
Either way, these onions are always fresh and always chopped by hand.
7. Grilled Mushrooms
These are baby portabella mushrooms, hand-picked and then freshly packed. A lot of people love them on their burgers, so it’s not just you. They grill these mushrooms perfectly, until they’re nice and golden for that extra body and taste.
8. Jalapeños (Fresh or Grilled)
Now we come to some heat. These are always fresh, and chopped in-house so they’re really spicy. No way these goodies come out of a jar.
Ask for the grilled jalapeños if you prefer some slow burn with the savory flavor. For some crunchy spice, go with the fresh.
9. Green Peppers (Fresh or Grilled)
These are fresh, thin slices of green pepper that really enhances your sandwich with the additional flavor and crunch. But they can also grill the peppers if you want.
10. Mayo
Now we come to the sauces, and the mayo is tops among them. They set this thick and smooth layer evenly, and it’s probably best that you don’t meddle with the amount. The default mayo amount is just right. But it’s also your right to ask for more or less mayo.
The mayo here is from the venerable brand Heinz, and their expertise isn’t limited to just the ketchup. They know their mayo as well. In fact, this particular mayo version is exclusive to Five Guys—you won’t find this exact same mayo anywhere else.
11. Ketchup
It’s also Heinz, of course. And if you want more ketchup, just ask.
12. Mustard
This is the French’s Classic Yellow Mustard from McCormick. It uses only stone-ground, #1-grade mustard seeds. There are no artificial colors and preservatives to worry about here.
13. Relish
If you need more of that tangy sweetness, the relish can be the answer. Five Guys uses the Sweet Green Relish from Mt. Olives. Ask for extra relish if you want.
14. Bar-B-Que Sauce
This is the rich and smoky Cattlemen’s Brand BBQ sauce. You get some smoky sweetness that really works nicely with the jalapeños and grilled onions.
15. Hot Sauce
This time, it’s the Frank’s Original Hot Sauce. This is made from a premium blend of aged cayenne peppers, and it was the original Buffalo wing sauce back in 1964.
16. A1 Steak Sauce
This is the classic A1 Original Steak Sauce also made by Heinz. It’s not just for steak, either. It’s made with a rather complicated set of ingredients, which supposedly includes dried onions, garlic, orange puree, raisin paste, and tomato puree.
Have fun at Five Guys, and experiment with the various combinations of toppings!