With open campus giving teenagers the freedom they desire during lunchtime, many people are looking for a cheap, filling and fast lunch for the minimal amount of time.

On my latest sojourn into the concrete jungle of Highlands Ranch, I came upon the burger joint known as Five Guys Burgers & Fries on Colorado Boulevard, in the University Park Shopping Center. Having never been to Five Guys before, I decided to give it a try.

In my book, any restaurant that gives you free food just for showing up is a blessing in itself. Five Guys gives out free peanuts to all their customers, because they know it’s a good way to get people to come back.

After being amazed by the free peanuts, I noticed large white bags of potatoes stacked up on a table near the door. Five Guys makes their own fries fresh every single day and they put the fresh potatoes on display for customers to see. When I visited, the potatoes were from a small family farm in Idaho.

The meat of this sandwich, however, was the burgers themselves. The standard-size burgers consist of not one, but two fresh beef patties. All the toppings a hungry teen could ever want come free with your burger, be it lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle or almost anything else that strikes your fancy. By the time you get everything you want, and the burger is wrapped up in tinfoil, it is the approximate size of softball — all for around $5.

If that just isn’t enough food for you, then order a side of fries. They fill a regular size drink cup full of hand cut, fresh cooked fries. And, as if that isn’t enough, they then add an additional scoop of fries straight into the bag! I almost started crying. It was beautiful.

For my money, Five Guys Burgers & Fries is the best available off-campus lunch, but only if you’re feeling like eating a fresh, never-frozen and delicious meal.