McDonald’s Vs Five Guys | Where To Eat?

If you are craving a big and juicy beef burger at any time, some of the best fast food restaurants like McDonald’s and Five Guys always have your back. But, have you ever been in a dilemma about which of these two fast-food restaurants is better? Then let us settle the debate of McDonald’s Vs. Five Guys! 

In the McDonald’s Vs. Five Guys battle, McDonald’s is the winner. Sure, Five Guys serve pretty delicious burgers and more. However, there are many other criteria where McDonald’s excels, making it the winner of this battle. 

Let us look at the table below that compares a few criteria between McDonald’s and Five Guys and shows how McDonald’s stands out as the winner. 

So, as you can see, McDonald’s stands out over Five Guys by a substantial margin. But, before we get into the details of each category and determine a winner, let us take a small look at the history of both these restaurant chains. 

Starting with McDonald’s this chain has been around since the 1950s! The restaurant chain was initially owned by the McDonald brothers, who were the original pioneers of the quick system of service implemented at McDonald’s. However, the chain gained recognition and became as popular as today after Ray Kroc took over the chain in the mid-1950s.

Now coming to Five Guys, the restaurant chain started much later than McDonald’s was established. Five Guys opened its first outlet in Arlington County, Virginia, and the restaurant chain has been very well-received among customers. 

In this article, we will explore different avenues, eventually leading us to a winner of the battle! Happy reading! 

Which Is More Popular? | McDonald’s Or Five Guys

McDonald’s is a more popular fast food chain than Five Guys. The reason is that McDonald’s has a much more significant global presence than Five Guys, making it a lot more well-known among people. 

Five Guys is a trendy fast-food chain that many know about. Five Guys has outlets in over 25 countries, with loyal customers. The total number of outlets across the world comes to about 1700. 

Compared to that, McDonald’s has outlets across 120 countries and territories worldwide! The total number of McDonald’s outlets worldwide comes to 40,275! This is indeed quite a lot compared to the Five Guys outlets. 

So, there are chances that you may see a McDonald’s outlet at every corner of your city, but the same is not the case with Five Guys. Hence, people are more likely to know about McDonald’s than Five Guys, making it the more popular fast food chain among the two. 

Which Restaurant Has A Better Menu? 

McDonald’s wins this round to have a better menu than Five Guys; McDonald’s offers a much wider variety of options, including chicken and fish, which you won’t find at Five Guys.  

Besides popularity, an easy criterion to judge which restaurant chain is better is to see which has a better menu. Five Guys and McDonald’s serve similar food in many ways, but some fundamental differences still make one better. 

Starting with Five Guys, the restaurant chain, is known for its meaty delights. Five Guys is famous mainly for delicious beef burgers with endless varieties. They have regular beef burgers, like hamburgers, and cheeseburgers, along with little versions of the same. 

Moreover, they also have lovely bacon burgers on their menu and a range of meaty and delicious hot dogs, both with and without bacon. The Five Guys menu also has a range of veggie sandwiches, fries, shakes, and fountain drinks. 

While Five Guys mainly focus on beefy creations, McDonald’s has a far more extensive variety. Like Five Guys, McDonald’s has some lovely beef burgers, like the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, McDouble, and much more. 

McDonald’s menu also offers a lovely range of sandwiches, with meat options like chicken and fish. McDonald’s is famous for its chicken sandwiches, including a McChicken sandwich, a Crispy chicken sandwich, and a Spicy crispy chicken sandwich. 

Another sandwich McDonald’s is well-known for is the Filet-O-Fish sandwich. Moreover, McDonald’s has lovely sides, from fries to chicken nuggets to apple slices. 

McDonald’s offers a range of fountains, milkshakes, coffee, and packaged beverages. They also have lovely baked goodies and ice cream. McDonald’s is also the pioneer of kids’ menus, with great options. So, all in all, McDonald’s has much more to offer than Five Guys. 

Winner – McDonald’s has a better menu since it has many more options. 

Which Restaurant Is Cheaper? 

McDonald’s offers cheaper food than Five Guys. McDonald’s offers most of its food at a very reasonable price, and for the same or similar menu items, the prices at Five Guys are a lot higher. 

Since McDonald’s and Five Guys are both fast-food restaurant chains, it can safely be said that neither is expensive. Both fast food restaurants offer burgers, sandwiches, sides, and more, at reasonable prices, and a meal at both restaurants would cost between $10-$15, depending on various factors. 

However, to determine which of the two restaurant chains offers cheaper fast food, let us compare the prices of some menu items offered at both restaurants. This will give you a better idea of which restaurant you should visit and when. 

It is pretty evident from the table that McDonald’s offers far cheaper food than Five Guys. McDonald’s is known for their very reasonable prices, compared to just about any other fast food chain. So, regarding low prices and fast food, McDonald’s always wins! 

Winner – McDonald’s wins this round. 

Which Restaurant Has Better Tasting Food? 

Five Guys has better-tasting food than McDonald’s. Five Guys offer a range of freshly made burgers that are better tasting than McDonald’s and never frozen. 

Ultimately, regardless of whichever fast food restaurant you like most, it all comes down to one thing: how good is the food? The rest of the factors only matter as much if the food matches the quality or flavor expected from the fast food restaurant. 

Determining which fast food chain serves better-tasting food can be challenging since everyone has personal preferences. However, certain factors can help us determine which has better quality food. 

McDonald’s food is pretty delicious; there is absolutely no doubt about that. However, since McDonald’s food is far more mass-produced than many other fast food chains, people have faced some issues with food quality. Most people’s main problem is that the burgers tend to be a tad dry. 

McDonald’s also has more options on its menu. However, every location does not reach the quality and flavor mark you expect. On the other hand, Five Guys does not have as many options on its menu as McDonald’s. 

But, Five Guys also takes pride in continuously serving fresh burgers. Most people have found Five Guys burgers and hot dogs much juicier, with better quality meat overall. Many people also believe that the shakes at Five Guys are more decadent than the ones offered at McDonald’s, which can help us determine a winner. 

Winner – Five Guys has better-tasting food than McDonald’s. 

McDonald’s Burgers Vs. Five Guys Burgers

Five Guys Burgers are a lot heartier than the ones at McDonald’s, making them the winner of this round. Although McDonald’s burgers are cheaper, Five Guys burgers are much stronger than the ones at McDonald’s, giving more value for money. 

Since both McDonald’s and Five Guys specialize in burgers, it would only be fair to compare the heroes of their menus to determine which is better. McDonald’s offers some of the best fast-food burgers, making it as popular as today. 

McDonald’s has a large variety of beef burgers in all sizes. Some of the burgers on the McDonald’s menu are evergreen and have not been removed from the menu ever since they were first introduced! This mainly includes options such as Big Mac, hamburger, and cheeseburger. 

Moreover, McDonald’s also has particular burgers that have returned on their menu now and then due to high demand, like the Bacon Quarter Pounder! Regarding value for money, sure, the burgers are cheap, but one burger might not be filling enough.

So, you may buy more than one burger to fill your stomach unless you get a Big Mac meal! Regarding quality, we have discussed that quite a few people find McDonald’s meat a little dry compared to what other fast food restaurants offer. 

Now, coming to Five Guys, their burgers have much steeper prices than those offered at McDonald’s. But, Five Guys burgers also tend to be heartier and juicier. They don’t have as many options as McDonald’s, but their few are outstanding! 

Another fact is that, although the burgers are more expensive at Five Guys, they are equally filling. So, chances are that buying a single burger meal from Five Guys is more likely to fill your belly than at McDonald’s. Hence, we have a winner for this round as well. 

Winner – Five Guys has better burgers than McDonald’s. 

Which Restaurant Has A Better Breakfast Menu? 

McDonald’s offers much more comprehensive breakfast options than Five Guys. McDonald’s has been offering a lovely range of breakfast options for a long time, much more than the ones at Five Guys. 

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, that’s for sure! Although breakfast is one of those meals we would like to sit down and enjoy, sometimes circumstances don’t allow the same. So, fast food restaurants come to the rescue whenever you are in a hurry with lovely breakfast menus! 

Speaking of fast food breakfasts, how can we not talk about McDonald’s, which is almost like the pioneer of fast food breakfasts? McDonald’s breakfast menu is pretty vast. The options offered are plenty, and also very delicious! 

McDonald’s breakfast menu features some delicious options for people who love a savory breakfast or even those who love a sweet breakfast! McDonald’s offers everything from hotcakes to Egg McMuffin, Sausage McMuffin, and of course, who could ever forget the famous hash browns, one of the best breakfast items from McDonald’s! 

Like their regular menu, McDonald’s breakfast menu has some items that return occasionally. Some such items include sausage biscuits and biscuits and gravy, both very popular in the southern states of the United States of America. 

The breakfast options at McDonald’s surely do not end there! The chain also offers some delicious coffee-based beverages with breakfast to simultaneously wash everything down and wake you up! 

McDonald’s breakfast has been pretty popular, although there have been many demands from people to serve it all day; as of now, McDonald’s is sticking to their regular breakfast hours. Very few fast food chains can compare with McDonald’s for breakfast. 

Five Guys started offering breakfast at their locations as recently as 2019! Currently, the chain provides only four breakfast sandwiches on its breakfast menu: egg, egg and cheese, egg and bacon, egg, bacon, and cheese. 

They also have some topping options with these sandwiches. But unlike McDonald’s, they lack variety and also coffee beverages. All of this gives us a clear winner for this round. 

Winner – McDonald’s has a better breakfast menu than Five Guys. 

Which Restaurant Has Better Drink Options

McDonald’s offers a wider variety of beverage options than Five Guys. Both restaurants offer a lovely range of soft drinks and milkshakes. However, McDonald’s is undoubtedly over the edge since they also provide a range of coffee-based drinks. 

It is rightly said that a fast food meal is complete with a cold beverage to wash all the grease down. A fast food meal only feels like one if you gulp down some soda or sweet tea! 

When McDonald’s first started, they initially only offered fountain drinks with their meals. Soon, due to increasing demand, McDonald’s added many more options to their drinks menu. Now you can find options like various sweet teas and milkshakes at McDonald’s. 

Moreover, McDonald’s also offers a range of coffee-based drinks, like roast coffee, Americano, and more, which are the best coffee drinks ever. McDonald’s also provides the best-iced coffee beverages, from Frappes to simple iced coffees. 

Five Guys also offer some lovely beverages, with their Fountain Beverages mainly restricted to Coca-Cola. Five Guys also have milkshake mixins, which are various flavors of milkshakes mixed in with their base vanilla flavor. 

These are popular amongst customers. The options at Five Guys are great, too. However, they lack as much variety as McDonald’s, which gives us a winner. 

Winner – McDonald’s has the better drinks menu. 

Which Restaurant Has Better Desserts? 

McDonald’s has a more extensive selection of dessert options than Five Guys, making it the winner. McDonald’s offers a range of ice creams, McFlurries, and baked goodies, whereas Five Guys only have milkshakes as desserts. 

If you have a massive sweet tooth, is your meal ever complete without a dessert to end it with? I bet not! Having dessert at the end of a meal is mandatory for some of us, whether at a fast food restaurant or a fine dining establishment. 

Let us take McDonald’s, for instance; they offer many desserts, from humble soft-serve ice cream to baked apple pie. 

McDonald’s soft-serve ice cream is considered one of the best desserts at just about any fast-food restaurant. What makes it stand out even more, is that it is the base for many other desserts at McDonald’s! 

The soft-serve ice cream is served with a generous amount of hot fudge sauce, giving you some of the best sundaes! The soft serve ice cream also makes the base for the famous McFlurries available at McDonald’s.  

Other than ice cream options, McDonald’s also has some sweet baked goods available. These include cinnamon rolls, apple fritters, and even cookies. On the other hand, Five Guys do not have dessert options per se. 

At Five Guys, the milkshakes are marketed as dessert and beverage options. All milkshakes at Five Guys start with the same vanilla ice cream base, then are mixed with a range of Milkshake mixin flavors, like bacon, bananas, Reese’s cups, salted caramel, and Oreo cookies. 

Although the milkshake options at Five Guys are pretty great and make a good dessert, they don’t qualify as a dessert per se, like the options at McDonald’s. McDonald’s has far more options, making us an obvious winner for this round. 

Winner – McDonald’s has better dessert options than Five Guys. 

Which Restaurant Is Healthier?

McDonald’s serves healthier food options. Comparing similar menu items from both chains proves that McDonald’s food items are much lower in calories than the ones at Five Guys. 

McDonald’s and Five Guys are restaurants specializing in fast food menu items, like burgers, sandwiches, fries, and shakes. So, we can all agree that both don’t serve healthy food per se. However, we can determine which of the two is the healthier option. 

To see if McDonald’s or Five Guys serves healthier food, we will compare some of the menu items offered at the restaurant chains. Although they are not the same menu items, they are somewhat similar to each other, which will surely give us a better reference. 

The table comparing the calorie values of the two restaurant chains makes it evident that other than the chocolate milkshake, there is a significant difference in the calories of the food offered at the two chains. Five Guys food, for a serving size similar to McDonald’s, has many more calories! 

Surprisingly, although most of you may not have expected this to happen, McDonald’s is a restaurant with healthier food options than Five Guys! Although, an important thing to remember is that although McDonald’s food is more nutritious, it should still be eaten in moderation. 

Too much McDonald’s food can be bad for the human body, which is something always to be aware of. Although McDonald’s food can be pretty tempting and small portions might not seem enough, it is always best to stick to smaller pieces. 

However, the good news here is that McDonald’s, keeping everyone’s demands in mind, has also started offering lovely low-calorie and healthy menu options. So, although McDonald’s food is more nutritious by comparison, it is best to stick to lower-calorie options. All in all, for this round, we have a winner. 

Winner – McDonald’s serves healthier food than Five Guys. 

Which Restaurant Has A Better Kids’ Menu? 

McDonald’s, as always, is the pioneer of kids’ menus compared to Five Guys. Five Guys technically do not have a kids’ menu, whereas McDonald’s has a lot to offer on its kids’ menu, along with a bunch of toys. 

The source of entertainment for a kid with the help of a kids’ menu from a fast food chain is the incredible toys offered! Speaking of toys given out with kids’ meals, it would be a crime not to mention McDonald’s and their happy meal toys! 

McDonald’s was one of the first fast food chains to come up with kids’ meals given with toys, also known as happy meal toys. Happy Meal toys have been around forever, and for most of us who grew up eating at McDonald’s, they were a big part of our childhood! 

Happy Meal toys are so popular that adults who grew up playing with them recently demanded similar toys. Well, McDonald’s considered the demand and launched their very own range of adult happy meal toys for a limited time! 

These were a massive hit! So yes, kids’ meals and McDonald’s go a long way! Speaking of the kids’ menu at McDonald’s, they offer a few perfectly curated options for kids to enjoy thoroughly. The meal options are not too many but are perfectly curated for kids to enjoy. 

Coming to Five Guys, the chain does not have a kids’ menu. However, they do offer some burgers on their menu, which are kid friendly. Five Guys provide four types of burgers on their menu, and they have a kid-sized version of each of those burgers. 

However, unlike McDonald’s, Five Guys has no specific menu for kids. Moreover, they also do not offer kids toys like McDonald’s, which gives us an obvious winner for this battle round. 

Winner – McDonald’s has a better kids’ menu than Five Guys. 

Which Restaurant Has A Better Secret Menu? 

Five Guys has better options on its secret menu. McDonald’s is known for having a tremendous personal menu. However, Five Guys has many more vegetarian options on its secret menu, making it the winner. 

Whenever you are bored of eating the same old options from any fast food restaurant, one thing that always helps is secret menus! Secret menus have an entirely new take on items already available, giving them all a lovely twist!

McDonald’s secret menu has more than 23 options, including personal burgers, sandwiches, dessert options, beverages, and more. McDonald’s secret menu, although technically a secret, is one of the most famous menus out there! 

Most of the secret menu items can be brought together by simply combining some of the menu items. Some examples of pretty famous McDonald’s menu items include options like Land, Air, Sea Burger, McGang Bang Burger, and of course, the Coke Float!

Here are the options that McDonald’s offers on their secret menu: 

1. Big McChicken
2. Birthday Cake
3. The 2 Cheeseburger Meal
4. The Chicken McGriddle
5. Big Mac Sauce With Fries
6. The Land, Sea, And Air Burger
7. The MC 10:35
8. The McCrepe
9. The Mc Gang Bang
10. The McKinley Mac
11. The Monster Mac
12. The McLeprechaun Shake
13. Neapolitan Shake
14. The Pie McFlurry
15. Caramel Apple Sundae
16. Orange Creamsicle Shake
17. McBrunch Burger
18. Poor Man’s Big Mac
19. Big Mac N Cheese
20. Grilled Cheese
21. Chicken Cordon Bleu McMuffin
22. Cinnamon Melt A La Mode
23. Hash Brown McMuffin
24. Biscuits & Gravy
25. Root Beer Float

Five Guys, too, offers a lovely range on their secret menu. The options on Five Guys’ menu are fewer than those at McDonald’s. Five Guys has 12 votes on its secret menu, and did you know that one of the options is in honor of the former president of the United States, Barack Obama, also known as the presidential burger?

Yes, you heard that right! Five Guys’ secret menu has options like nacho fries, hot dogs, patty melts, and a lot more. An advantage at Five Guys compared to McDonald’s is that the chances of the server preparing the secret menu item are higher at Five Guys. 

Here is the list of items on the secret menu at Five Guys: 

1. Patty Melt
2. Double Grilled Cheeseburger
3. The Presidential Burger
4. The Artery Annihilator
5. The HB Slammer
6. Sloppy Joe
7. In-N-Out Animal Style
8. Burger Bowl
9. Breaking Windy City Dog
10. Cheese Fries
11. Loaded Fries
12. Well Done Fries

This is indeed a tough decision to decide which one has the better secret menu of the two. However, this one should be given to Five Guys. Although they have fewer options than McDonald’s on their menu, they have more vegetarian options. This gives Five Guys an edge over McDonald’s. 

Winner – Five Guys has a better secret menu than McDonald’s. 

Which Restaurant Has Better Deals? 

McDonald’s has better deals than Five Guys. McDonald’s has some evergreen deals that are far more popular and help save money compared to the discounts offered at Five Guys. 

Regarding eating at just about any place, who would ever let go of deals or any such options to save extra money? Although both McDonald’s and Five Guys have food options that are very reasonably priced, ways to save extra money always come in handy. 

As quite a few of us may already be aware, McDonald’s is the king of deals. McDonald’s has some of the best fast-food deals as of 2023. One of the best examples of the evergreen sales at McDonald’s has to be their dollar menu, which has been around for the longest time.

The dollar menu is known for offering all menu items at the lowest price possible. Also, McDonald’s offers deals that change now and then, with some lovely breakfast deals too. The best part about McDonald’s is also that, in any case, their food is moderately priced, which makes the deals far more exciting! 

Five Guys do not have any evergreen deals such as McDonald’s. They have values that change now and then based on customer needs and much more. Five Guys have had some of these deals over the years: free delivery for orders above $15 and get 5 % off using their gift cards.   

Moreover, at Five Guys, you are more likely to find rewards and gift cards instead of deals. Five Guys has a lovely set of tips for customers who order regularly. 

You can also get yourself or your friends and family gift cards to save money. Although Five Guys have some deals, they are not nearly as many as the ones at McDonald’s, which gives us a winner. 

Winner – McDonald’s has better deals than Five Guys. 

Which Restaurant Has A More Modern Look? 

McDonald’s has a more modern look than Five Guys. McDonald’s offers a broader range of seating options and a play area, giving it a much more modern look and putting it over the edge above Five Guys. 

Are you someone who thinks the decor of a restaurant, even though it is a fast food restaurant, is just as important as the food? Of course, who would want to eat good food in a swamp-like place, right?!

So yes, just as most of us would expect the food to be great at a restaurant, the same goes for the decor and overall ambiance. Since McDonald’s came about much before Five Guys, let’s start with the sort of decor and more that they have. 

When McDonald’s opened its stores, it did not have seating options. This was way before Ray Kroc took over the company and made it what it is today. Once Ray Kroc took over McDonald’s corporation, the chain was known for its golden arches, which remain one of the most iconic features of McDonald’s. 

The chain has gone through its fair share of changes since its opening. The restaurant chain has different types of seating to accommodate people of every age group, from booths to high stools and more. 

Most McDonald’s stores also tend to have a separate section for McCafe, which looks more elegant than the other part. Moreover, over the years, McDonald’s has added many new features to their establishments to attract more customers. 

One feature most people loved about McDonald’s was the kids’ play area introduced at plenty of their outlets. This was a great way to keep kids entertained while parents and other family members enjoyed their meals. 

Lastly, McDonald’s promotes the same, so customers will likely know about the new features added to their overall decor. 

Five Guys also has a modern decor similar to that of McDonald’s. Most of their restaurants have white walls and red dots paying homage to their logo. Five Guys also offer a range of seating options to accommodate different people’s needs.  

Unlike McDonald’s, Five Guys has always offered seating to their customers ever since it first opened. Five Guys Logo and Interiors have also pretty much remained the same over all the years that the chain has been around. 

Five Guys offer simple seating options, which are mainly brown, as per the decor of the rest of the store. The one difference you will find at Five Guys, compared to when they first opened, is that the logo used to be much more complex. Now, they have stuck to a much simpler logo with minimal font. The rest remains as it was earlier. 

However, there are certain things that you may not find at Five Guys, but you will at McDonald’s. One such thing is the Play Area for Kids at McDonald’s, which has managed to be a huge hit. They also do not have a particular area where they serve coffee beverages and desserts. 

Lastly, coming to promotions, Five Guys is good with the same. However, no one can come on par with McDonald’s as far as advertising is concerned! The other two factors also give McDonald’s an advantage over Five Guys in deciding the winner of this section. 

Winner – McDonald’s overall has a more modern look than Five Guys. 

Which Restaurant Is More Successful? 

McDonald’s has far more outlets across the world compared to Five Guys. This makes McDonald’s a more successful fast food chain than Five Guys. 

The last parameter to determine which of the two is the better place to eat is to see which chains are more successful. Five Guys and McDonald’s are successful and well-known for their fast food. 

This is the reason why they are so widely spread across the world with plenty of outlets. McDonald’s, however, is far more widespread in the world than Five Guys could ever be. One of the best examples of the same is that McDonald’s has over 40,275 outlets worldwide, that too in 120 countries and territories! 

Compared to this, Five Guys currently has outlets only across 25 countries, with the total number of outlets coming close to 1700. So, McDonald’s is far ahead of Five Guys in this criterion. 

Besides the number of outlets, the revenue generated by the two chains is also a great way to determine which is more successful. McDonald’s generates revenue in billions, with the average revenue generated for 2022 being $23.184 billion! 

Compared to that, since Five Guys are less widespread, they generate revenue in millions rather than billions of dollars. On average, Five Guys generated $1.2 million in revenue in 2022, far less than McDonald’s. This shows which of the two is more successful. 

Winner – McDonald’s is far more successful than Five Guys. 

Who Wins The Battle – McDonald’s or Five Guys? 

McDonald’s wins this battle with Five Guys. Although Five Guys won many rounds, McDonald’s won far more games than Five Guys, making it the clear winner of this battle. 

That was one pretty exciting battle of fast food chains. While it was great to witness, we also have a clear fight winner. So, winning by 10 points out of 13, McDonald’s is the winner of this battle of fast food restaurants. 

Both McDonald’s and Five Guys are pretty great restaurant chains, that is for sure. However, since McDonald’s has been in the business for much longer than McDonald’s, they have the advantage of being far ahead of Five Guys in many parameters. 

Sure, there are a few factors where Five Guys is the clear winner among the two fast food chains. However, it is also evident that McDonald’s has worked far too hard to be where they are today, making them rise above any other fast food chain. 

Moreover, if such fast food battles are something you generally like, you are in luck! We have covered many such fast food chain battles which can help you decide where to eat. Please look at some of the topics we covered, like McDonald’s Vs. Jollibee and McDonald’s Vs. Whataburger and I can guarantee you will enjoy them. 

You may find a few more interesting fast-food restaurant battles are McDonald’s Vs. In-N-Out, and Dairy Queen Vs. McDonald’s. Which of these fast food chains do you usually prefer? Let me know in the comments! 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)