‘Out of control’ Five Guys prices ignite social media furor after $24 receipt for just burger, fries, small drink goes viral

Joshua Lynch
·3 min read
5.2k

Does valet parking and VIP seating come with this, too?

An uproar over a pricey bacon cheeseburger and fries at Five Guys is causing a stir on social media, baffling many over why the combo cost a customer nearly $25.

A user account on X exposed the popular fast food joint by posting a receipt he found on Reddit that showed a bacon cheeseburger alone cost $12.49.

The Five Guys receipt shows a cheeseburger alone cost $12.49. Wall Street Silver/X
The Five Guys receipt shows a cheeseburger alone cost $12.49. Wall Street Silver/X

“Five Guys prices are out of control,” the X user wrote. “$24 for one person.”

The receipt showed an order of a bacon cheeseburger that cost $12.49, one soda priced at $2.89, and small fries for $5.19 — all amounting to $21.91.

And even more eyebrow-raising was a tip for $2.19 spotted on the receipt.

“I guess I was expecting about $12 to $15 per person for Five Guys. $22 (without tip) just seems to cross a line. What is the right amount these days?” the post, which garnered over 25 million views on X, was captioned.

Here’s the latest on price increases at fast food restaurants

Heated X users stormed into the comment section, with many sounding off on the pricey meal that they feel comes from an “overrated” fast-food joint.

“That’s not even factoring in how overrated they are. $10 should be able to get you a premium burger from a higher-end place. Drink and fries plus $5,” one person said.

The other takeaway from the Five Guys order was the questionable tip paid by the customer. AP
The other takeaway from the Five Guys order was the questionable tip paid by the customer. AP

“Split that meal with a friend and then go for a walk,” one reply read.

Other users focused their ire on the tip.

“What are you tipping for anyways?” someone questioned.

“Five Guys is an order and pay at the counter restaurant. Why is there a tip included?” another said.

As inflation continues to rock the country and American’s wallets, the rise of fast-food restaurant prices has gained major national attention.

One couple went viral after sharing their money-saving hack for how to beat the inflation-era prices at Five Guys.

“Next time you’re at Five Guys, just order a double cheeseburger with all the toppings,” an account the couple runs called @nateandsaraheats revealed in a clip on TikTok, which was viewed over 222,000 times.

The couple named Nate and Sarah then let viewers in on a little secret by instructing them to start asking for an extra bun on the side with the order to make it into two single cheeseburgers.

They then showed firsthand how to turn one double into two single cheeseburgers, as they took the two patties and transferred them over to the second bun.

Fans on social media were outraged over the matter, with many saying the restaurant is too overrated to be charging those kinds of prices. Sipa USA via AP
Fans on social media were outraged over the matter, with many saying the restaurant is too overrated to be charging those kinds of prices. Sipa USA via AP

“That’s two meals for less than half the price of buying them separately,” they said.

And just last week, Wendy’s was forced to clarify its Uber-style “dynamic pricing” announcement — which said the cost of menu items will fluctuate throughout the day based on demand.

The term was used in relation to Uber’s model that inches fares higher when demand spikes, but a spokesperson for Wendy’s scaled back the announcement.

“To clarify, Wendy’s will not implement surge pricing, which is the practice of raising prices when demand is highest,” Heidi Schauer said.

She added there are “no plans to do that and [we] would not raise prices when our customers are visiting us most.”