Are Five Guys' Fry Portions Shrinking? A Redditor Decided To Investigate
For the last few months, there has been a debate whether the portion sizes of Five Guys' once-famously generous fries have gotten smaller. This has come in partial response to the burger chain changing the way its fries are packaged, as it switched from the traditional cups to paper bags earlier this year. Five Guys said the switch had to do with the paper bags being biodegradable, thus reducing waste, and better preserving the fries. But customers alleged it papered over a decrease in portion sizes. This has irked customers weary of shrinkflation, especially since Five Guys is so expensive compared to other burger chains. One Redditor decided to investigate for themselves.
User c08306834 explained their process for testing Five Guy's fry portion sizes in a thread on the Fast Food subreddit. They ordered five delivery orders of large fries over the past few months, and weighed each in grams. They then compared that to Five Guy's stated size, which is 567 grams for a large on the company's nutrition facts. On average, the weight of their fry orders came in around the 400 grams, ranging from 470 grams to as low as 376 grams. That's 20% less than what the chain promises. Of course, the truth of this post cannot be independently verified, but it's in line with photos of fry servings and complaints from many customers over the last few months.
A Reddit user weighed Five Guys' fry orders and found them consistently smaller than advertised
In the Reddit thread, the investigator noted, "Stealing from delivery driver is impossible. This was 5 separate orders, 5 different drivers, and all came in tamper proof sealed packaging." They also claimed the last smaller order of 444 grams came after they complained to their local Five Guys and were promised that the problem would be rectified. If you already think Five Guys' fries are overhyped, this might be the last straw.
Other customers have chimed in on the research. One Reddit user responded, "Purely anecdotal, but I have also noticed smaller portions over the past year at my East Lansing, Michigan FG. On top of that, they were criminally undercooked and soggy ... At $20+, it was the last time I've visited." Another frustrated fan added, "I loled when they made sure to tell everyone that the new fry bag will in no way shape or form change the amount of fries given in the bag, and here we are..."
Value is always going to be relative, and a NetCredit report earlier this year actually found Five Guys' fries to be among the best value, but that was before the packaging shift. Since then, there have been plenty of other Reddit threads where customers have swapped stores of disappointment. While these complaints may not be proof of anything yet, Five Guys definitely has a customer relations storm brewing.