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If you have lived in the Santa Clarita Valley for any length of time then you know who John Boston is. He is probably the most knowledgeable individual of local history bar none! John is also one of The Beacon’s treasured columnists and someone I am honored to call a friend. And as friends, we get together on a somewhat regular basis for a meal. We tend to jump around and try different places; breakfast at the Saugus Café, lunch at a dump in Castaic or a meal at the Half Way House Café out on Sierra Highway. It’s always an adventure with John because no matter where we end up eating, there are a plethora of stories told.

Not too long ago, John and I decided to meet at the Five Guys burger joint that opened at the Town Center. It had been open for sometime and the crowds that mob every new restaurant that opens in SCV had subsided for the most part.

It was quite interesting to see that Five Guys has the same red & white tile reminiscent of In & Out Burger. I think that there have been a lot of comparisons between Five Guys and In & Out which seems only natural as they both have similar décor, menus and overall basic concept.

Our first visit to Five Guys started with a bit of a wait to order our meals. Partly at fault were the people in front of us who apparently didn’t look at the menu until they had gotten up to the counter; more and more people don’t care how there actions affect others!

We finally ordered and I had sticker shock in that the two cheeseburgers, 2 fries and 2 drinks were more than $25. That was a double take moment and a quick; “how much?” I muttered to John that I hoped that these burgers were worth it. By the way, the same meal at In & Out would have been just under $16.00. (Note that the Five Guys cheeseburger is a double patty and is equivalent to the Double Double at In & Out)

After paying the bill we got our drinks and grabbed a table outside the restaurant. We waited a bit until our number was called and went back in to get the food.

After finishing the burger, I thought that it was very good. The burger was tasty and nicely seasoned. I liked the fresh, soft bun as it added a very nice texture to the burger; there’s really nothing like a very fresh burger bun!

Overall the meal was very good. I thought the burger was very tasty, fresh and was quite possibly better than In & Out. I certainly liked the fries at Five Guys better than those served up at In & Out. But was it that much better to warrant the much higher costs? No! I’m quite happy with a burger and fries from In & Out because it is a very good burger at a reasonable price.

The most disturbing thing about our visit to the Five Guys was the employees working the register behind the counter.

After sitting with John and catching up, trading stories and generally having some great conversation I decided to try a hot dog. So I went to the counter ordered a Kosher Hot Dog with mustard and grilled onions; the total came to $3.58.

Here’s where it got scary.

I handed the high school girl behind the counter a five dollar bill which she dutifully punched into the register keypad. Meanwhile, I had reached into my pocket and pulled out the eight cents at which point the girl had a “deer-in-the-headlights” look of terror on her face because the register draw had already opened. She looked at the change and then looked at another employee standing next to her; they whispered to each other and then she proceeded to give me my change……a $1.42.

Okay, so this is basic math; if the bill is $3.58 and I give you a $5.08 the change is $1.50. This is the type of very rudimentary mathematics that should be done in your head if you have advanced to a Jr. or Sr. in high school. Yet this girl was looking at the register and her colleague for the answer and was unable to give the correct change; she handed me $1.42!

This experience is being repeated all over and I have no doubt that it is going to continue to happen. It is the dumbing down of our society due to the continued efforts of parents and administrators to move children from grade to grade whether they are learning the required material or not. It is this notion that if you show up to play soccer or any other sports you’ll get a trophy; the incentive to learn or play your best has been removed.

Instead we have some real dullards moving into the work force who lack basic intelligence and are not motivated to work hard for advancement. So we are left with some slack-jawed, Y-generation who don’t care about much of anything except their own instant gratification in the here-and-now; screw everything and everyone else.

Well I had to tell this dopey Five Guys employee that the change should be $1.50 at which point the manager came over to open the register draw. No sorry, no apology, just the correct change.

Sure, the Five Guys burger was good, but I don’t think I’ll go out of my way to go there when there are so many choices. Personally, I’d rather go to In & Out Burger because the food is good, reasonably priced and they have intelligent employees working at their restaurants. In & Out consistently pays their employees above the going mandated hourly rates which allows them to pick the cream of the crop in employees!          

 Dave Bossert- Commentary 

Dave Bossert is a community volunteer who serves on a number of boards and councils. His commentaries represent his own opinions and not necessarily the views of any organization he may be affiliated with or those of the West Ranch Beacon.