Five Guys Vs Culver's: The Burger Chain With Better Value

We take burgers pretty seriously 'round these parts. Grilling burgers at home is a great way to flex our culinary prowess, but there's just something special about a fast food burger. There's a notable difference in homemade burgers versus restaurant ones, and a great, greasy handheld from your favorite drive-thru sometimes zings our tastebuds just right. But what about the budget? When dollars and cents are on the line, who delivers better value: Culver's or Five Guys?

These two popular eateries are definitely closer to fast-casual than McDonald's in terms of price and quality, but we can say unequivocally that Culver's has better value when it comes to beefy burgers. To determine this empirically, we examined two directly comparable cheeseburgers at both Culver's and Five Guys: double-patty handhelds with cheese, ketchup, mustard, raw onions, and pickles. Five Guys' regular cheeseburger fit the bill. For Culver's, it was the Butterburger Cheese (we won't even get into what makes Butterburgers special, because you already know). 

Pricing and availability are subject to change by location, but at two restaurants in west-central Florida located within a mile of one another, Culver's was charging $7.99 for its burger, and Five Guys' burger was a whopping $10.89 ... a difference of almost three dollars! Venturing further into the menus, we also found deluxe bacon burgers with a major price difference: $9.99 at Culver's and $12.19 at Five Guys. Both featured two patties, identical fixings, bacon, and American cheese. We ain't talking small potatoes here, either; it turns out there's a big price difference between the two drive-thrus all the way down the respective menus.

Five Guys, compared with Culver's, offers a more pared-down menu. Your options are generally limited to hot dogs and burgers, although employees can also use the generous array of toppings to make a veggie sandwich. Five Guys is definitely no slouch when it comes to condiments and may even outdo Culver's in that regard, as anyone who has ever ordered a Five Guys burger with the magic words "all the way" can attest. The restaurant earns kudos for the generous portions of its fries, too, which come in both regular and Cajun flavors. You'll pay for the spuds, however ... a large portion of fries at the Florida Five Guys we visited clocks in at $7.79. That, you will notice, is almost as much as a Culver's double cheeseburger. 

Culver's, on the other hand, has a menu with plenty of diversity for a wider range of diners. You'll find fish there, along with chicken, pot roast (!), veggie burgers, and even salads. Both Culver's and Five Guys offer ice cream products, but Five Guys is limited to shakes. You'll find several side options at Culver's, too, like cheese curds, pretzel bites, and chili. Culver's offers four sizes for fries: small, medium, large, and "family." Notably, even the family-sized portion is cheaper than Fives Guys' large fries, as the Culver's taters are $7.49. Between pricing and selection, you've got to conclude that Culver's is dishing up better value in the fast food burger wars, no matter how you serve it.