I ate the same meal at BurgerFi and Five Guys, and I was surprised that the fancier chain was cheaper

• I ate a burger and fries to see how different they were.

• When the food is ready, both chains call out to diners.

• Both were delicious, but BurgerFi didn't feel as fancy as it could have.

I compared the meal from BurgerFi and Five Guys to see which was better.

BurgerFi and Five Guys Burgers and Fries serve up a menu of hamburgers and french fries.

According to the company website, Five Guys has 1,400 locations in 49 states, while BurgerFi has 120 locations in 22 states.

Since both chains specialize in the same food items, I ordered a single cheeseburger and a small side of fries from each to compare the two chains.

BurgerFi has been serving food.

I grew up in New York and never saw a BurgerFi location. I first tasted it many years ago when it was in Florida.

I went back to the southeastern state recently and wanted to try again.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries has been serving food for over 25 years.

I have been a Five Guys customer for eight years now, and I have tried almost everything on the menu, including a patty melt and a hack for getting two-for-one burgers.

The restaurants have different interiors. BurgerFi looks more like a bar than a restaurant.

The restaurant looks like a cross between a bar and a low-key restaurant, making it a good example of a fast-casual chain.

The soft-industrial decor included a mix of metal and wood tables, pounding metal detailing, and light fixture that looked like art.

The menu was displayed on large TV screens above the register and kitchen window, and there was a small selection of on-tap beers next to the register, which reminded me of Shake Shack, a fast-casual burger chain that started in New York City.

I think the emphasis on aesthetic and range of specialty menu items is what makes this fast-casual rather than fast-food.

Five Guys has a more fast-food-chain atmosphere with bright-red counters and uniforms.

I was put in a fast-food environment at Five Guys because of the bright colors and tiled walls. The atmosphere is different at BurgerFi than it is at the counter with the register.

There are bottled waters and sodas on display in a bucket, instead of beer on tap.

Five Guys has an open kitchen, which means that customers can see everything that goes on behind the scenes as their food is being prepared and cooked in a standard eight-minute time frame.

I ordered a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, pickles, American cheese, and BurgerFi sauce.

I paid $6.39 for this burger at the South Florida location of the chain, which comes with two patties and no pickles. The same sandwich at a New York City location costs $6.97.

I was impressed with the ingredients.

BurgerFi's beef patties looked like they were shaped in-house as the edges and sides weren't perfect.

The piece of lettuce was large and had a crunch that I didn't expect. A single slice of tomato added a lot to the meal.

The cheese was nice and melty, and the meat had a lot of salty flavors that went beyond salty.

I wish there was more of them or that they were spread out on the bun so that I could taste them in each bite.

The bun stood up to the juices and sauce. It did not get soggy or fall apart under the weight of it all. The bun was still dry and intact when I came back to it around 20 minutes later.

I ordered a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, and American cheese at Five Guys.

The burger was more expensive than BurgerFi. The same sandwich costs $7.39 at a South Florida location.

There are no standard sandwiches on the menu at Five Guys. Customers have to ask for all the different things they want. I think I prefer it.

At Five Guys, the topping was applied more generously than at BurgerFi.

The Five Guys burger had six discs spread out on a bed of lettuce. The heavy sandwich was given a freshness by the freshness of the lettuce and the flavor boost from the pickles.

This burger had two slices of tomato stacked inside, which made the flavor and texture of their presence more prominent.

The meat at Five Guys is good, but it does not have a pronounced flavor of its own.

The sesame seed bun at Five Guys is only good for a short time before it gets eaten by the juices and tomato liquid around the edges. Unless you are taking your food to go and commute to another location before diving in, this isn't an issue.

I ordered plain french fries at BurgerFi.

I ordered a regular sized order of fries for $4.29 in Florida, which is the smallest size option.

They were salted and hot, which is always a plus.

The potatoes were cut to around 1/2 inch thick, varied in length, and some had brown potato skin on the outside, which I love. They were soft inside and hard outside.

The fries got cold, turned stiff, and lost most of their flavor after 30 minutes.

Five Guys has a term for the smallest size on offer, which is what I ordered.

I paid $4.39 for an order of fries at Five Guys in NYC.

Five Guys fries have a mashed-potato-like interior and a soft exterior. They were served hot and salted and retained their texture and flavor.

The spuds were cut to around 1/2 inch thick, varied in length, and had the same natural potato skin on them.

The food is very similar, but the chains are completely different in terms of appearance.

The menu basics are close competitors, while the vibes inside each restaurant are definitely different.

Both chains use ingredients that are fresh to me as a customer. The buns, the veggies, and even the patties leave little to be desired.

I like Five Guys a lot, but I prefer the overall burger at BurgerFi because it has a sturdy bun and good meat. It is less expensive, which is a draw for me.

After trying the fries from both chains, I think Five Guys is the best. Even if you take a while to finish the massive portion, they keep their flavor and texture.

I think BurgerFi is a fast-casual chain with fancy-than-fast-food dishes, but even when boiled down to the basics, I would choose this smaller chain over Five Guys.

The original article can be found on Insider.