It's Time To Order A Five Guys Grilled Cheese Burger (Just Trust Us)

Secret menus are a fun way to spice up fast food offerings: From the famous not-so-secret menu at In-N-Out to the essentially limitless variety of coffee drinks you can order at Starbucks. Even though there are websites dedicated to cataloging an industry's worth of secret menus, some chains still manage to keep the secret menu secret.

Five Guys has been a popular burger chain for years. And though it may not be as beloved as the famous burgers and fries, it has also had a grilled cheese sandwich on the menu for years. what you may not know is that you can combine the two dishes — you won't see the combo listed on any menu, but asking for a grilled cheese burger will unlock a new favorite Five Guys dish.

The delicious patty melt is a common menu item for diners and basic restaurants, but not so commonly seen at fast food giants like Wendy's or McDonald's. But with the grilled cheese burger, you can get a fast food patty melt at any Five Guys location.

The magic of the Five Guys grilled cheese burger is in its name. The delicious burger patty and whatever toppings desired are placed between two buns — but the buns are grilled cut side-down (as on the chain's grilled cheese) to better brown the bread. The result is a crispy, cheesy, beefy fast food patty melt.

The grilled potato buns are a particularly important part of this Five Guys feast. Having the crispy, toasted part of the bun on the outside of the sandwich highlights more of the Maillard reaction — the browning of the bread over the heat of the grill. From the very first bite, it's a wholly different texture experience than the regular cheese burger.

The browned buns also afford your grilled cheese burger more structural integrity, good for whatever toppings you want to add. However, more toppings means a greater likelihood that the burger will fall apart as you pick it up and bite into it. Think of the simplicity of a diner patty melt; the cheese is able to hold everything together because it's just the patties and some grilled onions. So it is with the Five Guys grilled cheese burger — though, if you're one to throw caution to the wind, you can still pile the toppings on for free.

Another thing that makes the Five Guys grilled cheese burger so special is, of course, the cheese. Asking for a grilled cheese burger gets you double the cheese than the burger normally comes with, to make the overall experience more grilled cheese-like.

Also true to the grilled cheese roots of this secret menu item, your cheese is guaranteed to be melted. Five Guys customarily puts unmelted slices of cheese on its finished burgers. The cheese melts if the burgers are left in their foil wrappers for some time, but if eaten fresh at the restaurant, the cheese may still be a little cold. This is not a problem with the grilled cheese burger.

There's a lot to love about the grilled cheese burger, but especially when it comes to ordering a secret menu item like this, remember to be nice. Five Guys can be a good fast-food chain to work at, but this type of work can be grueling and often thankless. If you're asking for a custom item that is not actually on the menu, be extra-polite, and be prepared to hear "no" if the place is busy.

Although the grilled cheese burger was a TikTok trend, that doesn't necessarily mean your Five Guys location is familiar, or wants to make it. Be patient, be humble, and if they say no, try another time or location. Absolutely do not fight fast food employees.