Rumble in East Lansing

It's Five Guys versus Bagger Dave’s in a clash of the burger chains

Posted

The battle for burger supremacy is on in East Lansing.

With Bagger Dave’s opening last week on Grand RiverAvenue, the year-old Five Guys Burgers and Fries a few blocks west hassome competition in the deluxe-franchise-burger-joint market.

While Five Guys revels in simple, greasy, sloppy messes,Bagger Dave’s mission is more refined with a broader, more nuanced menuand even wine or beer pairings for your meal — pretentious, perhaps,but it’s nice to not feel like you have to change clothes after eating.

Walk in through the backdoor at Five Guys, and you mighthit a slick patch of grease just outside the kitchen like I did.Instead of residing in a store room, enormous jugs of peanut oil, sacksof potatoes and boxes of peanuts share space with customers near theorder counter.  

At Five Guys, empty peanut shells litter the floor andfoot traffic streams by along the bustling Grand River corridor.Self-promotion, in the form of press clippings and a garish red andwhite checker design, is relentlessly repeated inside. Add in shoutingcooks and it felt a little like walking into a carnival.  

The hype is heavy, and so are the burgers. Don’t expectspecialties, though, unless you build it yourself; a bacon cheeseburgeris as fancy as it gets.

A cheeseburger runs $5.49, but it’s really a doublecheeseburger with two hand-pressed patties that were nearly as thick asmy hand — enough meat for two people.

A burger “all the way” comes dressedwith grilled onions and mushrooms, mayo, lettuce, pickles, tomato,ketchup and mustard. It’s a big burger, but it can be bigger with fourmore items and three additional sauces.

The beef is fine, cooked a little on the well-done side.With so many toppings, though, nearly all flavors get lost. All Ireally tasted was the tang of yellow mustard and ketchup. And theflimsy white bread buns don’t do much to contain the mess such a burgerinevitably makes.

Regular fries run $2.69. A cook scooped enoughpinky-thick and starchy fries into a cup to satisfy a healthy humanbeing; he then proceeded to pile a few more loose handfuls atop the cupof fries and aluminum foil-wrapped burger at the bottom of a brownpaper bag.  (The seasoned-salt-dusted Cajun fries are tasty but have absolutely no heat.) 

If you want spicy, go with jalapeños. I tried thethick-sliced hot peppers with sweet relish and raw onion on a kosherstyle hot dog ($3.39) split down the middle. Unlike the overloadedburger, I could taste, feel and enjoy distinctive flavors.

Service ends at the pick-up counter at Five Guys. Dinerstote their grease-stained bags, which double as plates, to tables wherethe demolition begins.  

Bagger Dave’s is a different experience, likely apreferable experience for those who no longer root around under dormroom couch cushions looking for loose change. Five Guys provides morebang for the buck in terms of quantity (you get more than you shouldeat), but outside of a frat house, who wants cold, day-old french friesfor breakfast?  

The menu is much more extensive atBagger Dave’s, with a half-dozen specialty burgers, sandwiches,appetizers, beer, wine, desserts and (gasp!) even salads.

I went with the Blues Burger ($5.69). Two patties, alsohand-pressed but thinner than at Five Guys, come in a toasted (andsubstantial) sesame seed bun with bleu cheese, lettuce, tomato and aCajun seasoning that I could not taste.

The Bagger Dave’s offering was gourmetcompared to the hot mess of Five Guys, but it’s still a rung below thebest I’ve had in this area from Old Town’s Trailer Park’d.

The sweet potato chips at Bagger Dave’sare worth a try. Light and airy, sweet and salty, I preferred the chipsto the overcooked fries that came with the Mix n’ Match appetizer($4.99).

The Michigan Meltdown ($5.09) — grilled cheese with bacon— comes on buttery Texas toast with Swiss, mozzarella, cheddar,tomatoes and onions. It’s the fresh basil leaves, though, that add aworthwhile dimension to what would otherwise be a pretty boringsandwich.   

Inside, Bagger Dave’s is more relaxed than the kineticfeel of Five Guys. A model train circles along tracks bolted to thewalls near the ceiling, and while there’s some hype on the menu(self-proclaimed legendary burgers and sauces), the wood paneling andearth tones contrast strongly with the shrill design down the street. 

If you want a county fair atmosphere and food you’ll(hopefully) forget in a half-hour, Five Guys is your kind of place. Ifyou’re looking for a burger joint you might go to more than once ayear, head to Bagger Dave’s.


Bagger Dave’s

1351 E. Grand River Ave., East Lansing 

11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

(517) 492-5052

baggerdaves.com

TO, OM, $


Five Guys Burgers and Fries

623 E. Grand River Ave., East Lansing

11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily

(517) 332-3483

www.fiveguys.com

TO, OM, $


Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here




Connect with us