Five Guys slammed for 'out of control' prices after receipt goes viral

When it comes to a cheeseburger and fries, you really can't beat a Five Guys.

But it's a well-known fact that a meal at the fast food restaurant will set you back a pretty penny.

Now, customers are slamming the retailer, calling its premium prices 'out of control'.

The debate started when Wall Street Silver posted a photo of a Five Guys receipt on X (formerly known as Twitter).

The receipt - reportedly from a chain in the US - shows a Bacon Cheeseburger priced at $12.49 (£9.83), a small portion of fries for $5.19 (£4.08) and a regular soda for $2.89 (£2.27).

After sales tax and gratuity, the meal came to a total of $24.10 (£18.97).

Alongside the photo, Wall Street Silver wrote: "Five Guys prices are out of control. $24 for one person."

In a follow-up post, they added: "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?"

X/@‌WallStreetSilv

The post got users pretty riled up as they took to the comment section to rant about the restaurant's prices.

One person wrote: "Fast food becoming a luxury meal is a sign of the times."

Another said: "$5 for a small fry is highway robbery. It's literally just a potato and some salt."

And a third commented: "Five Guys was always overpriced. Same meal was $15 ten years ago."

However, others defended the higher price point, saying you're getting a more 'premium' product than at other fast food retailers.

"Five Guys has always been more premium than others, though," said one user, while another claimed that the higher price tag was 'worth it'.

For reference in the UK, a Bacon Cheeseburger will set you back £11.95.

LADbible has contacted Five Guys for comment.

Social media was divided over whether or not the fast food chain is overpriced. Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images

Theories about why Five Guys costs more than its competitors have been flying around for quite some time now - whether it be because of the 15 free toppings available, fresh ingredients, generous portion sizes or the fact the chips are also cooked in peanut oil, an extremely expensive commodity.

In a clip posted to TikTok, author and behavioural science expert Rory Sutherland said: "Five Guys is an interesting one because no one would have thought you could charge $10 for a burger in an environment that is no more exotic than a McDonald's, right?"

But he explained that you're actually getting a better deal than you first think.

Rory continued: "If you delve a bit deeper, the burger and the shake - the two signature items - are the only things that are expensive.

"You get free drinks refills, you get an extra scoop of fries for free, you get free peanuts. All the toppings on the burger are entirely free, regardless of how many of them you want."

Five Guys

He added: "If you have a hero product (i.e. the burger), you can charge massively in an area where people think money makes a real difference provided you're remarkably ungreedy everywhere else."

Five Guys' CEO Jerry Murrell has previously explained the company's pricing structure.

"Our food prices fluctuate," Murrell said. "We do not base our price on anything but margins.

"We raise our prices to reflect whatever our food costs are. So, if the mayonnaise guy triples his price, we pay triple for the mayonnaise! And then we'll increase the price of our product."