Wikipedia

Five Guys

Five Guys Enterprises, LLC(doing business asFive Guys Burgers and FriesandFive Guys) is an Americanfast foodchain focused onhamburgers,hot dogs,andfrench fries.It is headquartered inAlexandria, Virginia.[13][14]

Five Guys Enterprises, LLC
Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Company typePrivate
IndustryFood
GenreFast casual restaurant
Founded
FoundersJerry Murrell, Janie Murrell[1]
Headquarters
Alexandria, Virginia
,
United States
Number of locations
1,700+[2](2021)
Area served
  • Australia[3]
  • Austria[4]
  • Bahrain
  • Belgium
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • Hong Kong
  • Republic of Ireland
  • Kuwait
  • Netherlands[5]
  • Italy[6]
  • Luxembourg
  • Macau
  • Malaysia[7]
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Singapore[8]
  • South Korea[9]
  • Spain
  • Switzerland
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
Key people
Jerry Murrell, Jim Murrell, Matt Murrell, Chad Murrell, Ben Murrell, Tyler Murrell[10]
ProductsHamburgers,french fries,hot dogs,soft drinks,milkshakes
RevenueIncreaseUS$1.711 billion[11](2021)
OwnerMurrell family
Number of employees
5,000[12](2021)
Websitefiveguys.com

The first Five Guys restaurant opened in 1986 inArlington County, Virginia.By 2001, there were five locations in theWashington, D.C.,metro area.[2]In early 2003, Five Guys beganfranchising,beginning a period of rapid expansion. In a year and a half, permits had been sold for over 300 franchised locations.[2]As of 2016,Five Guys had over 1,700 locations open worldwide, with 1,300 locations under development.[2]It was the fastest-growing fast food chain in the United States, with a 32.8% sales increase from 2010 to 2011.[15]

History

Five Guys was founded in 1986 by Janie and Jerry Murrell. Jerry and the couple's sons Jim, Matt, Chad, and Ben were the original "Five Guys".[1][16]The Murrells had a fifth son, Tyler, two years later. Today, all five sons, the current "Five Guys", are involved in the business: Matt and Jim travel the United States visiting stores, Chad oversees training, Ben selects the franchisees, and Tyler runs the bakery.[10]

The first Five Guys was inArlington's Westmont Shopping Center. Buns were baked in the same center by Brenner's Bakery. This location closed, in favor of another inAlexandria, Virginia,at the intersection of King and North Beauregard Streets, which closed on September 21, 2013.[17]

Map of countries with Five Guys locations

More followed inOld Town AlexandriaandSpringfield, Virginia,making five locations open by 2001. Their success encouraged the Murrells to franchise their concept the following year, engaging Fransmart, a franchise sales organization. Former American football playerMark Moseley,who had gone to work for Fransmart after his football career, played a key role in Five Guys' expansion and went on to become the company's director of franchise development after it ended its business relationship with Fransmart.[16][18]In early 2003, the chain began franchising, opening the doors to rapid expansion which caught the attention of national restaurant trade organizations and the national press. The expansion started in Virginia and Maryland, and by the end of 2004, over 300 units were in development through the Northeast. Over the next few years, the chain rapidly expanded across the entire United States and into Canada, reaching over 1,000 locations by 2012.[needs update][citation needed]

The first location outside of North America opened in theUnited Kingdomon July 4th, 2013, inLondononLong AcreinCovent Garden.[19]The chain now has more than 170 restaurants in the UK. In 2023 they celebrated their 10th Anniversary in the United Kingdom.[20]

Five Guys also has locations in the Middle East and has continued to expand in Europe. In late 2017, Five Guys opened its first restaurants in Germany, with a branch inFrankfurtand another inEssen.[21]

Five Guys opened its first Korean store in Gangnam, Seoul, at 11 a.m. on June 26, 2023, with a countdown shout. As of 2024, there are a total of four branches in Seoul.[22]

Five Guys Enterprises has several affiliated companies that are not part of a consolidated group, but are under common ownership. Five Guys Operations was founded in 2012,[23]Five Guys Holdings was founded in 2007.[24]Five Guys Foods UK Limited was incorporated on March 12, 2013.[25]FGE International,[26]FGO International BV,[26]and FG Coöperatief U.A.[27]are based in Amsterdam. FGH International C.V. is located in Bermuda.[28]

Five Guys had a 39,900-square-foot (3,710 m2) headquarters inLorton, Virginia,overlooking theOccoquanandPotomacRivers, that was specially designed to convey the corporate brand. According to the architect, "The lobby mimics the typical Five Guys restaurant with red and white tile, tall tables, Freestyle Coke machine and signature peanut boxes."[29]In 2023, they moved their headquarters to a new location inAlexandria, Virginia.[30]

On September 24, 2020, the first Five Guys location with adrive-through windowopened inSurfside Beach, South Carolina.The franchisee retained it from the former business in the building in light ofCOVID-19 pandemicsafe practices.[31]

In September 2021, Five Guys opened their first location in Australia.[32]The chain also has plans to expand into New Zealand.[33]In November 2022, Five Guys announced the relocation of their headquarters to the Carlyle neighborhood ofAlexandria, Virginia.[34]

A Five Guys restaurant inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Five Guys menu focuses onhamburgersoffered withKraftAmerican cheeseor applewood-smokedbaconandkosher stylehot dogs(Hebrew Nationalall-beef franks), as well asgrilled cheese,BLTand vegetable sandwiches. Five Guys uses buns that are sweeter and "eggier" than normal buns.[18]The hamburgers come in two sizes: regular (twopatties) and little (one patty). Customers may select from 15 different toppings at no charge. Fresh-cutfrench friesare the sole side item, available salted only in "Five Guys style" or seasoned "Cajunstyle ".[35]

Complimentary roasted in-shellpeanutsare offered for on-site consumption at most locations, with signage alerting potential customers who may have apeanut allergy;for theseallergenreasons, customers are not allowed to take peanuts off-site.[36]

The chain also sellsmilkshakesin the traditional vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry flavors, and can also be ordered with the customer's choice of up to 10 free toppings mixed in, ranging fromOreocookies to bacon.

Five Guys experimented with offering coffee, but this was discontinued due to quality concerns.[10][37]Like other breakfast items, such as theBLT sandwichandbacon, egg and cheese sandwich,coffee is currently only offered in Five Guys's airport locations and its location nearMcPherson Square station.[38]

Restaurants

A Five Guys bacon cheeseburger

Bags of potatoes are sometimes stacked in customer spaces due to an occasional lack of storage space, or, in some franchises, for aesthetic reasons.[18]Restaurants are decorated with white and red checkered tile throughout and generally use wooden tables along with counter-high level seating.

Reception

Barack Obama orders lunch at Five Guys in Washington, D.C., 2009.

Five Guys has received numerous awards in D.C. area publications, including "Number 1 Burger" byWashingtonian Magazinefor seven years.[citation needed]Former US PresidentBarack Obamais reportedly a fan, buying lunch for himself and his colleagues at the Washington Five Guys branch in 2011.[39]

Since franchising, it has also received awards in other cities.[40][41][42]The chain has something of a cult following[43]and remarkable brand loyalty. Five Guys has been rated one of the most talked-about burger brands online.[18][44]

As Five Guys continues to expand into the US West Coast, comparisons have been made withIn-N-Out Burger,another generally similar fast food chain. Comparing the two chains in 2011, theLos Angeles Timesnoted that Five Guys' menu items are generally more expensive than In-N-Out's, they lackdrive-throughsthat In-N-Out is famous for, and are most often found inside shopping malls. The newspaper still conceded that by pricing its products higher, offering bigger burgers and building larger dining rooms, Five Guys could capitalize on the recent trend of mid-level places that offer more expensive products than fast food but cheaper than fancy restaurants.[45]

In 2011, Five Guys was ranked first in "Fast Food – Large Chains" and "Best Burger" in Zagat's annual Fast Food Survey.[46]In 2012, Market Force Information, Inc. polled 7,600 fast-food consumers, and Five Guys ranked No. 1 in food quality and taste, service, cleanliness, and atmosphere.[47]In 2016, Five Guys was ranked first in the burger, steak, chicken and grill category of a Market Force UK survey.[48]

References

  1. ^abRosenwald, Michael S. (April 3, 2006)."Five Guys, Taking a Bigger Bite".The Washington Post.RetrievedMarch 10,2008.
  2. ^abcd"Five Guys Story".Five Guys.January 20, 2022.RetrievedJanuary 20,2022.
  3. ^"Five Guys to open in Penrith on Monday morning".Western Weekender.September 16, 2021.RetrievedSeptember 20,2021.
  4. ^"Five Guys: Was am neuen Burgerhype in Wien dran ist".Der Standard.January 30, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 31,2022.
  5. ^"Five Guys opent in Eindhoven".Eindhovens Dagblad.December 11, 2017.RetrievedJune 14,2021.
  6. ^"Non solo Starbucks: apre Five Guys, il fast food" dove tutto è fresco ". E spunta il frappè al bacon".MilanoToday.
  7. ^"US fast food chain FIVE GUYS bites into Malaysia with Genting outlet".October 26, 2021.
  8. ^"More than 1,000 Five Guys burgers sold on opening day".The Straits Times.December 16, 2019.RetrievedAugust 8,2020.
  9. ^Kim, Min Joo (June 29, 2023)."Five Guys has opened in South Korea. People went nuts".Washington Post.Seoul.RetrievedJune 15,2024.
  10. ^abcLiz Welch (April 1, 2010)."How I Did It: Jerry Murrell, Five Guys Burgers and Fries".Inc.Mansueto Ventures LLC.RetrievedApril 10,2010.
  11. ^"Five Guys".www.restaurantbusinessonline.com.
  12. ^"Five Gys Burgers and Fries".Forbes.
  13. ^"Contact Us".Five Guys.RetrievedApril 23,2018.Five Guys Enterprises, LLC 10718 Richmond Highway, Lorton, VA 22079 USA
  14. ^Previous locations include 10440 Furnace Road Suite 205 Lorton, VA 22079, as stated byContact Usretrieved on October 1, 2012, and archived on September 20, 2012, and 8390 Terminal Road Suite B Lorton, VA 22079 as stated byContact,archived on November 28, 2006, and retrieved on October 1, 2012.
  15. ^"Wendy's dethrones Burger King but Five Guys grows fastest".Los Angeles Times.March 19, 2012.RetrievedJanuary 19,2015.
  16. ^ab"Number 1 with a Burger"(PDF).Restaurant Business.August 2006. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on July 26, 2007.RetrievedSeptember 13,2008.
  17. ^"Five Guys West End Location Closes".West End Alexandria, VA Patch.September 26, 2013.RetrievedJuly 8,2024.
  18. ^abcdKaren Weise (August 11, 2011)."Behind Five Guys' Beloved Burgers".BusinessWeek.Archived fromthe originalon September 11, 2011.
  19. ^"Five Guys v Shake Shack - restaurant review".The Evening Standard.August 19, 2014.
  20. ^"2023".May 18, 2018.RetrievedNovember 11,2024.
  21. ^Mumme, Thorsten (May 18, 2018)."Five Guys öffnet noch 2018 Filialen in Berlin und München".NGIN Food(in German). Vertical Media GmbH. Archived fromthe originalon June 20, 2018.RetrievedJune 20,2018.
  22. ^"[현장] 한화 김동선의 첫작품 '파이브가이즈' 한국1호점 강남에 오픈".뉴시안(in Korean). June 26, 2023.RetrievedMarch 25,2024.
  23. ^and"Five Guys Operations LLC: Company Profile".Bloomberg.
  24. ^"Five Guys Holdings, Inc: Private Company Information".Bloomberg.
  25. ^"Five Guys Foods UK Limited".Endole.
  26. ^ab"Five Guys International BV".drimble.nl.
  27. ^"FG Coöperatief U.A."company.info.RetrievedJune 11,2018.
  28. ^"FGH International C.V."Orvis Directory.Archived fromthe originalon June 12, 2018.RetrievedJune 11,2018.
  29. ^"Five Guys Corporate Headquarters at Gunston Commerce Center, Building 3".R.W. Murray Company.
  30. ^Andrews, Kate (July 7, 2023)Virginiabusiness.com.Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  31. ^Wetzel, David (September 22, 2020)."Why the Five Guys restaurant set to open in Myrtle Beach area is a first for the brand".The Sun News.RetrievedSeptember 25,2020.
  32. ^Stowe, Sarah (September 17, 2021)."Five Guys opens first Australian outlet".Inside Franchise Business.RetrievedMarch 30,2022.
  33. ^Stowe, Sarah (July 29, 2020)."Five Guys expands to Australia, New Zealand".Inside Franchise Business.RetrievedMarch 30,2022.
  34. ^Neibauer, Michael (November 22, 2022)."Five Guys moving corporate headquarters inside the Beltway after a decade in Lorton".Washington Business Journal.American City Business Journals.RetrievedJanuary 31,2023.(Subscription required.)
  35. ^"Menu".Five Guys.RetrievedJune 11,2018.
  36. ^Myers, Dan (January 19, 2017)."5 things you didn't know about Five Guys".Fox News.RetrievedOctober 25,2017.
  37. ^Monte Burke (July 18, 2012)."Five Guys Burgers: America's Fastest Growing Restaurant Chain".Forbes.
  38. ^So Good (July 24, 2012)."Five Guys Breakfast Reviewed".Huffington Post.
  39. ^Lisa Hannah Raven (April 4, 2014)."Uxbridge Five Guys Scheduled for June Opening".Get West London.RetrievedApril 9,2014.
  40. ^"Press"(Press release). Newmarket, Ontario, Canada: Five Guys. Archived fromthe originalon April 14, 2006.RetrievedApril 17,2006.
  41. ^"Virginia Beach Best Food & Dining".HamptonRoads.com.Landmark Media Enterprises L.L.C. Archived fromthe originalon August 22, 2007.RetrievedJune 26,2007.
  42. ^"Jacksonville Magazine's The Best of Jacksonville 2007"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on July 14, 2014.RetrievedJuly 12,2014.
  43. ^Southern, Keiran (January 28, 2016)."Five Guys Newcastle restaurant could be on the menu for popular burger chain".nechronicle.RetrievedMay 20,2016.
  44. ^Lisa Joy Rosner (March 14, 2011)."Best (Bad for You) Burgers".NetBase.Archived fromthe originalon September 1, 2011.RetrievedNovember 9,2011.
  45. ^Sharon Bernstein (April 8, 2011)."Will Five Guys overtake In-N-Out?".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedNovember 10,2011.
  46. ^Polis, Carey (September 6, 2011)."Five Guys, Subway Top In-N-Out, Taco Bell In Zagat's Fast Food Survey".Huffington Post. Archived fromthe originalon September 7, 2011.RetrievedNovember 26,2012.
  47. ^Hsu, Tiffany (September 19, 2012)."Five Guys voted favorite burger chain, McDonald's near bottom".Chicago Tribune.RetrievedOctober 4,2012.
  48. ^"Five Guys Is Now the UK's Favorite Fast Food Burger | Washingtonian (DC)".Washingtonian.March 29, 2016.RetrievedJune 5,2019.
Wikimedia Commons has media related toFive Guys.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Five_Guys&oldid=1257350449"