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Try, try again. I have found Five Guys to be consistently excellent.

If you want a consistent, well-made burger that satisfies on every level, I've found that "Islands" is a great chain. The fries are twice-fried (and endless...just keep asking for more) and the quality is superb. I've never tried 5 Guys...are there any in LA? I thought I knew every burger purveyor in Southern California!!!

I've been to 5 Guys in PA and MD, and I wasn't overly impressed. Better than fast food ANY DAY, but I don't like the fries either. I did find one place in MD that serves the best burgers and condiments I've ever had, Burger Bros. in Towson, MD. Their baconcheeseburger is big, very juicy, and perfectly cooked. I top mine with mayo, sauteed mushrooms, raw onions and feta cheese, and it's to die for! They also have chicken sandwiches, onion rings, salads, and a nice selection of sodas. Next time you're in Baltimore, look them up. It's worth the trip.

Good peanuts, great fries, disappointing burgers.

I've been to Five Guys in Wayne and East Rutherford in New Jersey, and 55th St. NYC and have had consistently good experiences. They are my favorite "fast" burger and the fries with the Cajun spice are the way to go. On occasion the fries have been a little dry, but the burgers have always been excellent. Bones? Dry? Falling apart? That's criminal.
The bun is nothing special, but then again they are just a burger stand trying to do it fresh, not make brioche fanciness. A kaiser roll would be nice, but I don't mind the backyard style buns one bit. The burgers have always been juicy and while they certainly don't lean to rare, I've never had a dried out well-done patty.

I am also a Five Guys lover, and hope you try it again with better results. I love crispy fries too, and Five Guys are more like "fair fries" (as in county fair) which means they can be a little softer, but with vinegar they are some of my favorites.

I usually give foods and places 2 tries, unless the experience was beyond awful.The 2nd time usually seals the deal if the food/venue is consistenly bad or I just had a bad experience the first time. I will say the Akron, OH Five Guys has been consistenly good, in my experience. It's hard to choose them over Swenson's burgers, but sometimes we do. Only thing I wish Five Guys added to their menu would be milkshakes.

That really is unfortunate. I've been to 5 Guys all over the eastern US and find them consistently good. In fact, the folks around the office have had a couple "5 Guys Challenges" where you're required to eat a 5 guys burger (not the little burger) and a large fry ASAP. I typically find the fries so good that I can eat the entire bag full. My preferred burger is one ground and made at home, but 5 Guys is a good substitute in a hurry.

While I enjoy a Five Guys burger for what it is and respect fans of flat-top burgers, my preference will always be for a thicker char-grilled patty. Putting aside my personal patty bias, the only thing I've found consistently disappointing about FGs is that their basic bun simply can't stand up to the burger and toppings without totally disintegrating in my hand. That always leaves me trying to eat the last half of it without a bun or benefit of a fork and knife. All that having been said, it's still better than nearly every other fast-food burger out there, primarily because of the quality and selection of available toppings.

But for me, it's the fries that are the standout product on the menu, if you do them with vinegar.

It's a shame that yayfood managed to encounter an epic fail on both burger and fries on his first try. I go about once a week and have been to at least a dozen different locations over the last few years. Sure it hasn't always been perfect, but there were never any raw ingredient issues such as bone fragments. That's something to bring up to the attention of corporate, I believe their meat is from one supplier.

I've tried the Five Guys in Watchung, NJ, and the one in Westfield, NJ. The burgers were cooked well and juicy, but the buns are soulless, generic white bread, like Wonder Bread. The burger was not worth the 15 to 20 minute wait for them to cook it "to order", which, in itself is ridiculous, since all they do all day long is crank out a steady stream of well-done burgers.
The fries were terrible. Dry, limp, and starchy. The cajun seasoning was gross, it tasted like a mouthful of stale paprika.
I miss the old Fudrucker's on Rte. 22 in Union.

Our 5 Guys in Salt Lake City is great. I'd send anyone there.

We have 2-3 Five Guys in my area with 3 more on the way. I really like the one I go to a lot. It's actually amazing how much business they do. My husband and I always dine in and there are usually 30-40 orders that go through while we are there for ~35 minutes at off peak times. Amazing.

You get a pound of fries when you order a small...

They aren't my favorite burger joint though. I'd have to say Brown Bag Burgers are the best. Not being a fan of bread, I am really picky about it. Their burgers are good, but their bread wins me over (fresh baked on the premises, if I am not mistaken)...plus they serve mushroom bisque. :P They also have more and better add-ons. If you're ever in the Cleveland area, check BBB out. Oh, I don't work for them, I just adore their burgers.

I love 5 Guys!

But it sounds like you had a really bad experience. I love their fries, but I've never notice them taste burnt. Of course, I've also no found bones in the burgers... I hope this is a one time thing and that you have better experiences in the future.

I went to Five Guys in Savannah in May and it thought everything was quite tasty. They did mess up our order but I was too hungry to complain. Haha.