When I saw the new Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries installed next to the Original Hot Dog Shop in Oakland, I thought the same thing as many of you probably did: "It's going to steal business from the O!" Now, I've got no special fondness for the O, with its greasy burgers and mountains of fries, but I still see it as a Pittsburgh tradition. I was noticeably upset with Five Guys. Then I ate there.

Now, there are striking similarities between the two burger joints: the cuisine, first of all; the somewhat messy décor; the fast-food atmosphere. But the similarities end there.

First, the menu at Five Guys is so simple! You can get a hamburger (the name is a misnomer; it's a double burger), a "little hamburger" (single burger), or a hot dog. You can add bacon or cheese if you want, or you can get a veggie or grilled cheese sandwich. As for fries, you can get them in two sizes, regular or large, and in two flavors, regular or Cajun. Drinks come in one size. My friends and I (coincidentally, there were five of us) were impressed by the menu's simplicity, especially compared to the O. As one of my friends said, "It's great! Do you want a lot of fries, or some fries?" At the O, you can get a lot of fries, or a ton of fries.

But what about the toppings? Oh yeah, you can have toppings. Mayo, relish, onions, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, fried onions, sauteed mushrooms, ketchup, mustard, jalapeno peppers, green peppers, A-1 Sauce, barbeque sauce, and/or hot sauce. Whatever you want, all free. Again, this is unlike the O, where they charge between 10 cents and a dollar for some toppings. The prices in general are reasonable: about $4-6 for burgers, $2-3 for fries. It may not be not dirt-cheap like McDonald's, but then, the food at Five Guys doesn't taste like dirt.

I mentioned before that Five Guys was a little messy. That's because of the peanuts. While you wait for your burger, you can grab a handful of in-shell peanuts from the boxes in the back of the restaurant.  If you have peanut allergies, you should probably go somewhere else.

However, above the food and the price, the biggest selling point is the customer service. They're friendly at the counter and they grill your burgers quickly and skillfully. But they really go the extra mile: my burger came with the wrong toppings, so I asked them to add the toppings they forgot. The worker apologized heartily and not only had them make me a new burger, but also put my name on a list to get a free burger the next time I came. It was three burgers for the price of one!

So when you get a hankering for a tasty burger and you're wandering around Oakland, walk a little past the O. For crying out loud, don't go to McDonald's. Try a real fast-food burger with some great customer service at Five Guys.

For more information about the restaurant, visit the Five Guys website.

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