You walk up to the counter, look at the menu board, and see three sizes. You think, "I'm not that hungry," so you order the five guys small fries. Then the bag hits the counter. It's heavy. It’s greasy in that specific, comforting way that brown paper bags get when they’re holding something truly indulgent. You open it up and realize there is a cup—a small cup—totally buried under a literal mountain of loose potatoes.
It’s the best "mistake" in fast food.
But here’s the thing: it isn’t a mistake at all. Five Guys has built a massive cult following, and a decent chunk of their business model, on the "topper." That extra scoop of fries isn't some rogue employee being nice. It’s a calculated, brilliantly executed piece of marketing that makes you feel like you’ve won a tiny lottery every time you eat there. Most people think they’re getting a deal. In reality, you’ve just participated in one of the most successful psychological pricing strategies in the history of the American burger joint.
The Mystery of the Extra Scoop
Let’s talk about the "topper." If you’ve ever watched the employees, they fill the designated cup—whether it’s the Little (Small), Regular, or Large—and then they grab a massive silver scoop and dump an entire extra serving into the bag. It’s chaotic. It’s messy. It’s exactly why the brand doesn't offer drive-thrus in most locations; they want you to see the process.
✨ Don't miss: Why Everyone Is Obsessed With O Ginger Davis Square Right Now
Jerry Murrell, the founder of Five Guys, has been quoted multiple times explaining this philosophy. He basically says that if people complain about the price (because, let's be honest, Five Guys is expensive), they won't complain if they feel like they got "too much" food. The five guys small fries size is essentially a psychological anchor. You pay for a small, you receive what looks like a large at any other chain, and your brain registers "value" instead of "overpriced potato."
It’s a bit of a magic trick. You're paying for those extra fries. The cost is baked into the menu price. But because the delivery feels like a "bonus," the dopamine hit is much stronger than if they just gave you a larger cup to begin with.
It Starts with the Idaho Potato
Not all potatoes are created equal. If you look near the entrance of any Five Guys, you’ll see stacks of burlap sacks. These aren't just for show. They’re usually 50-pound bags of Burbank potatoes from Idaho.
Why Idaho?
It’s the starch content. When you’re dealing with the five guys small fries experience, you’re eating a potato that was grown north of the 42nd parallel. These potatoes grow slower, which makes them denser. If you used a cheap, watery potato, that "extra scoop" in the bag would turn into a soggy, mashed-up mess within three minutes. The density of the Idaho potato allows it to maintain some structural integrity even when it’s suffocating under its own weight at the bottom of a paper bag.
🔗 Read more: All the things we never said 2020 and why we’re still feeling it
The Science of Peanut Oil and Double Frying
You won't find a drop of vegetable oil or lard in these kitchens. They use 100% peanut oil. It’s a controversial choice because of allergies, sure, but from a culinary standpoint, it has a high smoke point that allows for a crispier exterior without that "burnt" aftertaste.
The process is actually surprisingly labor-intensive:
- They wash the potatoes by hand to get the starch off (that's why the water in the buckets is always cloudy).
- The fries are "precooked" for about two to three minutes until they’re soft.
- They have to cool down completely. If you skip this, they get mushy.
- The final fry happens right before it goes into your bag, creating that distinct crunch.
Honestly, it's more like a French bistro technique than a fast-food assembly line. Most places—looking at you, McDonald's—use frozen, pre-cut strips that are engineered in a lab for consistency. Five Guys is the opposite. It’s variable. Sometimes your five guys small fries will be slightly saltier, or a bit darker because the sugar content in that specific batch of potatoes was higher. It feels human.
The Calorie Reality Check
We have to talk about the numbers. It’s not pretty.
A "Little Fries" (which is the official name for the small) at Five Guys is listed on their nutritional guide as having about 528 calories. But here is the catch: that calorie count is based on the cup. It doesn’t always account for the massive "topper" scoop that ends up in the bag. If you eat the whole bag, you’re likely pushing 700 to 800 calories.
Compare that to a McDonald's small fry, which sits around 230 calories. You are essentially eating a full meal’s worth of energy just in the "small" side dish. It’s a salt bomb, too. But that’s why we love it. The salt is Kosher salt, which has larger grains that don't dissolve immediately, giving you those hits of flavor rather than a uniform saltiness.
Why There is No Such Thing as a "Small"
If you’re trying to diet, the five guys small fries is a trap. It’s the ultimate "shareable" item masquerading as a single serving. I’ve seen families of four split one "Large" fry and still not finish it.
There’s an internal directive for employees: if the customer doesn't feel like they got too many fries, you didn't put enough in the bag. It’s a culture of excess. This creates a weird secondary effect where the bag itself becomes part of the seasoning. The grease from the fries soaks into the brown paper, and as the fries sit there for the five-minute drive home, they undergo a "steaming" process.
Purists will tell you to eat them immediately. If you wait, the crunch vanishes. But some people—myself included—actually like that slightly softened, bag-steamed texture. It’s a different vibe.
Cajun vs. Five Guys Style
You have two choices. The "Five Guys Style" is just plain salt. It’s classic. Then there’s the Cajun spice.
The Cajun seasoning is a heavy-handed mix of garlic, onion, paprika, oregano, white pepper, and a lot of cayenne. It’s spicy. Not "fast food spicy" which is usually mild, but "I need a refill on my soda" spicy. If you order the five guys small fries with Cajun seasoning, be warned: the spice gets on everything. It will migrate to your burger. It will get on your napkins. It lives on your fingers for hours.
The Business of Potatoes
From a business perspective, fries are the highest-margin item on the menu. Potatoes are cheap. Even high-quality Idaho potatoes are pennies per serving when bought at the scale Five Guys operates at.
🔗 Read more: Why a garden with pink flowers is actually a design powerhouse (and how to avoid the "bubblegum" look)
By giving you a "mountain" of fries, they are increasing their perceived value by 500% while only increasing their actual food cost by maybe twenty cents. It’s genius. It’s the same reason movie theaters sell buckets of popcorn the size of a toddler. The container and the "extra" don't cost the business much, but they allow the business to charge $6 or $7 for a single potato.
Actionable Tips for Your Next Visit
If you want to master the Five Guys experience, you have to play the game right. Don't just walk in and order blindly.
- Order the "Little" (Small): Unless you are feeding an entire soccer team, the five guys small fries is more than enough for two people. Ordering a Large is basically asking for a five-pound bag of potatoes.
- The "Well Done" Hack: You can ask for your fries "well done." Because they are fresh-cut, they can sometimes be a bit limp if the oil wasn't at the perfect temp. Asking for well done ensures that extra-crispy exterior that holds up better against the "topper" weight.
- Shake the Bag: Before you start eating, close the top of the brown bag and give it a vigorous shake. This redistributes the salt and the Cajun seasoning (if you got it) from the top scoop down to the ones hiding in the cup.
- Napkin Prep: Do not take two napkins. Take twenty. You are going to need them to soak up the oil from the bottom of the bag if you plan on eating the "floor fries."
The reality is that Five Guys isn't selling you a side dish. They’re selling you an experience of abundance. In a world where fast food portions are shrinking and "shrinkflation" is hitting every menu, the sight of a bag overflowing with hot, salty, peanut-oil-soaked potatoes is a middle finger to the trend. It’s messy, it’s caloric, and it’s exactly what a fry should be.
Next time you see that grease stain spreading across the bottom of the bag, don't be annoyed. That's the sign of a five guys small fries order done exactly right. Grab a fork—or just use your hands like everyone else—and get to work.