Lifestyles

Like our region's own Primanti Bros. or Quaker Steak & Lube, Five Guys Burgers and Fries began as a local legend, famed for their tasty burgers, hot dogs and fries.

The family-owned franchise has gobbled up best-burger plaudits from numerous newspaper and magazine polls in the Washington, D.C., area, where it was founded in the mid-'80s by Janie and Jerry Murrell, who named it for their five sons. Their formula for success: a simple, virtually minimalist menu of freshly prepared food, served at nearly the speed of a fast-food establishment.

They grill their burgers to order, with meat that's never frozen, and serve them on fresh buns, with a choice of almost a dozen free toppings. They've since expanded into a nationwide franchise of more than 300 stores, including those in Oakland and the Waterworks Mall in Pittsburgh near Fox Chapel.

The Waterworks location has at least seven tables on the sidewalk and additional seating inside. Forget ambience. It's cavernous and loud, with red and white tile accents on the walls, a red counter and red ductwork snaking along the black-painted ceiling. A bulletin board full of children's drawings seems to attest to the restaurant's popularity, although one crayon missive, with a smiley face, read, "Good food. Music too loud."

A message board alerts customers where that day's potatoes are from. On a recent Wednesday, the point of origin was Idaho. Apart from that, the place was blessedly free of kitsch.

Order a hot dog, and you'll hear "hot dog!" repeated at machine-gun cadence by those working the grill.

The Famous Burgers section of the menu features a hamburger ($4.39) and cheeseburger ($5.09). Both are available with bacon. Those items also are available in "little" size ($3.29 for a Little Hamburger, $4.39 for a Little Bacon Cheeseburger). Five Guys also sells a kosher-style hot dog ($2.79).

The two varieties of fries ($2.39 for regular Five Guys style or with Cajun seasoning) are cooked in peanut oil.

The burgers are served in tin foil, making them nice and portable. Heart healthy it's not, even if the lunchtime crowd at the Waterworks Mall location occasionally includes a doctor in scrubs and stethoscope, presumably on break from nearby UPMC St. Margaret's. But if you're going to sin, this is the place to do it.

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