Five Guys - do you leave home to shop them?

January 12, 2026 10:55PM

I only did a couple of these, early 2025, so I am likely out of touch.
We're on a road trip, so I found one close by and we split lunch.

One little burger, one little fry and one small fountain drink..

Just a shade over $21.

Reimbursement is $17.25 and pay is $15.

So bottom line pay is about $11

But we needed a meal and it was reimbursed, so that was part of the consideration.

But I would never leave my home for that price/cost.....not when there is food at home.
and I likely won't do one again any time soon because not crazy about their food.
It just fit the need at that moment.

Would you leave home for that price/cost? they're probably never going to raise
the reimbursement to match the real cost.

Life was passing like a hand waving from a train I wanted to be on

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January 12, 2026 11:09PM

If I was really craving it (which I really don't anymore), or if I was on a route and there was one near the hotel I was staying at, I would, mainly for the meal.

Otherwise.... no.

January 12, 2026 11:29PM

I have 1 less then a mile from me. I will do that one, but no others.

January 13, 2026 12:07AM

In my neck of the woods, a little burger, med fries, and reg soda is 17.96. Less at the one that does combos. I have a few Five Guys near me so, I will pick them up when I’m in the area but I won’t generally drive out of my way unless it’s a good bonus. And I sure as heck don’t do the night time ones until they hit $30 or so.

January 13, 2026 12:31AM

I don't live close enough to one to go for just that. But, if I know I have a busy day planned and there is one that will be convenient? Sure. And, I have picked one up that was a last minute fill situation with a fat bonus so I could cover two people in full. I took my hubs and we called it a lunch date.

January 13, 2026 01:17AM

No, I would not leave my house for 5 Guys. I will rarely shop there anymore. I just don't like the food. I did pick one up while out of town for my salaried job with a nice bonus. I received a per diem for my meal that I was able to keep and walked to the location for a dinner shop.

January 13, 2026 02:14AM

That's simple. NO. I don't mind 5 guys, it's a perfectly acceptable burger, and I do like the fries when they do it right. I won't go over reimbursement for it for any reason, and I almost never leave the house for just one shop. And fast food, no matter which kind, is not an anchor for a route, fast food shops are for filling in spaces in a route and getting a meal while we're out.

January 13, 2026 07:35AM

Where in the world were you traveling? I can get a meal for about 14.50 in some places around here, DC, and never more than 16ish before a tip now with the combo unless I order a full burger or a patty melt.

January 13, 2026 08:50AM

I asked AI to calculate the cost of the standard FG meal across the entire US: little burger, little fry and small fountain soda.
Keep in mind this info does NOT include any tax.
Also keep in mind that it would appear that MF is not even paying the national average for reimbursement.
That's just wrong IMO, but I guess that just would cause them to have to increase payment instead to arrive at the overall compensation.

AI answer:

So while the most common à la carte total comes out to about $18–$20 for a basic meal, some places with combo deals can be closer to ~$13–$14 where available. (Where available)
If you want, I can look up typical prices at Five Guys specifically near your ZIP code for a more precise estimate.

Life was passing like a hand waving from a train I wanted to be on

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/13/2026 08:50AM by BarefootBliss.

January 13, 2026 12:39PM

The closest 5guys is in a city 90 minutes from home. When I'm there, I have too much to do, so not stopping at 5 guys

When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.
Alexander Den Heijer

January 13, 2026 03:08PM

I guess I'm lucky, because I like their grilled cheese sandwiches and hot dogs, and I can always get those for below reimbursement. Some locations near me also have a deal to add fries and a drink for $6, so that expands my choices. I only avoid one location unless it's highly bonused because there's no free parking, and the MSC no longer reimburses for that.

January 13, 2026 03:12PM

Their food is overpriced and unhealthy. Ido not do their shops regardless of the shop fee. The amount of salt and fats is disgusting,

January 13, 2026 03:19PM

I will do their shops at the 3 locations pretty close to me. The farthest is about 6 miles , but it is across from my gym. I won't do any of them for less than $20. The nerve of them making you spend at least $19 in my area and they only reimburse $17 and change. The late night ones, I will only do the location 2 miles from my house, and only if it pays at least $30ish

January 13, 2026 04:51PM

The smallest burger/fries/drink after tax is just barely under reimbursement here. If you want cheese, you're paying for it. A milkshake is NOT fully covered if that scenario is offered. I find it frustrating that they don't give enough reimbursement for an average priced meal. They're getting that money back so why not encourage the shopper to explore the menu?

January 13, 2026 05:24PM

because by taking the shops regardless of their silly rules and unfair reimbursement, we send a message to them that we are desperate. So it boils down to--because they can get away with not paying more.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/13/2026 05:25PM by jwhenry704.

January 13, 2026 05:28PM

That's a definite hard "NO."

January 13, 2026 06:12PM

The reimbursement has NEVER met the price I pay.
I have been offered $25 max on an occassion or 2 last year, but $15 for the one 2 miles from me I sometimes take if I haven't had them for a while. $20 for that meal here, $19.19 last time. Expensive, would not eat there on my own dime.

January 14, 2026 05:42AM

I stopped on request of my son over the holidays for my first visit.

I was underwhelmed in every way: service, food quality, cleanliness, and cost.

We each had a burger and small beverage and shared fries and the bill was almost $50!

The food was swimming in grease and I felt ill for hours.

There are so many better burger options, I wouldn’t return for any reason.

What’s with these food gigs that aren’t even fully reimbursed for what’s required? You can bet the client is writing off the food as a business expense, so what’s the problem?

@BarefootBliss wrote:

I only did a couple of these, early 2025, so I am likely out of touch.
We're on a road trip, so I found one close by and we split lunch.

One little burger, one little fry and one small fountain drink..

Just a shade over $21.

Reimbursement is $17.25 and pay is $15.

So bottom line pay is about $11

But we needed a meal and it was reimbursed, so that was part of the consideration.

But I would never leave my home for that price/cost.....not when there is food at home.
and I likely won't do one again any time soon because not crazy about their food.
It just fit the need at that moment.

Would you leave home for that price/cost? they're probably never going to raise
the reimbursement to match the real cost.

January 14, 2026 05:32PM

My question for some of the burger restaurants around is why do regular paying customers shop at some of these high priced burger places when there are less expensive options with larger burgers and perhaps smaller small fries that would be healthier for the customer. How do these places stay in business with enough paying customers. I live in a big city and there are so many better burger choices but people evidently go to 5 guys to spend their hard earned money as they remain in business,

January 14, 2026 10:10PM

I feel I need a minimum of 22/25 pay to eat there. Since it's not very healthy (I just can't toss the fries after eating one!) and also because their form is so annoying to fill out - it's like they want someone stroking their ego. Now Panda I just did for very little pay because I was at the mall and suddenly felt very hungry - and I can get a small bowl with chicken on top of broccoli. Plus the form is short and sweet!

January 15, 2026 10:21PM

We have many in our area that are fairly close to each other. I like to do two (one lunch and one dinner) on the same outing—with bonuses of course! I normally will eat the lunch one (as late as possible) and of course get a refill of a non-carbonated beverage. After I submit my report, then I drive to the dinner location. I will get a bowl for dinner. I pick around at it and eat maybe a few pickles… a few fries and a bite of the meat. Then after my 15 minutes is over, I get my refill of another non-carbonated drink, of course. When I arrive home, I have two paper cups of something like a Powerade Zero and the fixings for a small amount of chili. Since I live alone, I will use the beef patty, onions, jalapeños, and green peppers as a start to a small amount of chili for which I will add a can of tomatoes, seasonings, and one can of kidney beans. I normally get about three servings out of one of my little pots of chili. I just make it work for me. I did it this week-$50 pay. This time, though, I just brought the beef patties home and froze them for later use. It’s very handy and I have not bought ground meat for myself in over five years. Now, if I’m having guests or something, I wouldn’t serve them my Five Guy chili, but you know it works for me.

January 17, 2026 04:03PM

When doing 5 Guys, order your little burger, then when they offer you fries and a drink, make it a combo or do the $6.99 upgrade, as long as you don't get bacon, it should be under $17.00. And remember that when you put that Order ID in the report, they follow every move you make, and what the employees (crew) are doing on camera.

January 17, 2026 08:57PM

@jamesofbmore wrote:

When doing 5 Guys, order your little burger, then when they offer you fries and a drink, make it a combo or do the $6.99 upgrade, as long as you don't get bacon, it should be under $17.00. And remember that when you put that Order ID in the report, they follow every move you make, and what the employees (crew) are doing on camera.

Pricing and promotions are regional, there are no combo deals available where I am.

January 17, 2026 10:31PM

Last fall I was driving home from my daughters in Maine and I saw the 5 guys in Brunswick was bonused at $37! Well I knew where I was stopping for lunch. Must not be too many shoppers around there. I do find the shops around that area are few and kinda spread out, so may be hard to get people regularly doing them.

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