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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
RevenueIncrease US$1.711 billion[11] (2021)
OwnerMurrell family
Number of employees
5,000[12] (2021)
Websitefiveguys.com

Five Guys Enterprises, LLC (doing business as Five Guys Burgers and Fries and Five Guys) is an American fast food chain focused on hamburgers, hot dogs, and french fries. It is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.[13][14]

The first Five Guys restaurant opened in 1986 in Arlington County, Virginia. By 2001, there were five locations in the Washington, D.C., metro area.[2] In early 2003, Five Guys began franchising, 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 in Arlington's Westmont Shopping Center. Buns were baked in the same center by Brenner's Bakery. This location closed, in favor of another in Alexandria, 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 in Old Town Alexandria and Springfield, 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 player Mark 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 the United Kingdom on July 4th, 2013, in London on Long Acre in Covent Garden.[19] The chain now has more than 170 restaurants in the UK. As of 2023 they have just 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 in Frankfurt and another in Essen.[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 feet (3,710 m2) headquarters in Lorton, Virginia, overlooking the Occoquan and Potomac Rivers, 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 in Alexandria, Virginia.[30]

On September 24, 2020, the first Five Guys location with a drive-through window opened in Surfside Beach, South Carolina. The franchisee retained it from the former business in the building in light of COVID-19 pandemic safe 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 of Alexandria, Virginia.[34]

A Five Guys restaurant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Five Guys menu focuses on hamburgers offered with Kraft American cheese or applewood-smoked bacon and kosher style hot dogs (Hebrew National all-beef franks), as well as grilled cheese, BLT and vegetable sandwiches. Five Guys uses buns that are sweeter and "eggier" than normal buns.[18] The hamburgers come in two sizes: regular (two patties) and little (one patty). Fresh-cut french fries are the sole side item, available salted only in "Five Guys style" or seasoned "Cajun style".[35] Customers may select from 15 different toppings at no charge.

Complimentary roasted in-shell peanuts are offered for on-site consumption at most locations, with signage alerting potential customers who may have a peanut allergy; for these allergen reasons, customers are not allowed to take peanuts off-site.[36]

The chain also sells milkshakes in 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 from Oreo cookies to bacon.

Five Guys experimented with offering coffee, but this was discontinued due to quality concerns.[10][37] Like other breakfast items, such as the BLT sandwich and bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, coffee is currently only offered in Five Guys's airport locations and its location near McPherson 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" by Washingtonian Magazine for seven years.[citation needed] Former US President Barack Obama is 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 with In-N-Out Burger, another generally similar fast food chain. Comparing the two chains in 2011, the Los Angeles Times noted that Five Guys' menu items are generally more expensive than In-N-Out's, they lack drive-throughs that 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. ^ a b Rosenwald, Michael S. (April 3, 2006). "Five Guys, Taking a Bigger Bite". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d "Five Guys Story". Five Guys. January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  3. ^ "Five Guys to open in Penrith on Monday morning". Western Weekender. September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  4. ^ "Five Guys: Was am neuen Burgerhype in Wien dran ist". Der Standard. January 30, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  5. ^ "Five Guys opent in Eindhoven". Eindhovens Dagblad. December 11, 2017. Retrieved June 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. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  9. ^ Kim, Min Joo (June 29, 2023). "Five Guys has opened in South Korea. People went nuts". Washington Post. Seoul. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Liz Welch (April 1, 2010). "How I Did It: Jerry Murrell, Five Guys Burgers and Fries". Inc. Mansueto Ventures LLC. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
  11. ^ "Five Guys". www.restaurantbusinessonline.com.
  12. ^ "Five Gys Burgers and Fries". Forbes.
  13. ^ "Contact Us". Five Guys. Retrieved April 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 by Contact Us retrieved on October 1, 2012, and archived on September 20, 2012, and 8390 Terminal Road Suite B Lorton, VA 22079 as stated by Contact, 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. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
  16. ^ a b "Number 1 with a Burger" (PDF). Restaurant Business. August 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 26, 2007. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
  17. ^ "Five Guys West End Location Closes". West End Alexandria, VA Patch. September 26, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  18. ^ a b c d Karen Weise (August 11, 2011). "Behind Five Guys' Beloved Burgers". BusinessWeek. Archived from the original on September 11, 2011.
  19. ^ "Five Guys v Shake Shack - restaurant review". The Evening Standard. August 19, 2014.
  20. ^ "2023". May 18, 2018. Retrieved November 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 from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  22. ^ "[현장] 한화 김동선의 첫작품 '파이브가이즈' 한국1호점 강남에 오픈". 뉴시안 (in Korean). June 26, 2023. Retrieved March 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. ^ a b "Five Guys International BV". drimble.nl.
  27. ^ "FG Coöperatief U.A." company.info. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  28. ^ "FGH International C.V." Orvis Directory. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 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. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  32. ^ Stowe, Sarah (September 17, 2021). "Five Guys opens first Australian outlet". Inside Franchise Business. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  33. ^ Stowe, Sarah (July 29, 2020). "Five Guys expands to Australia, New Zealand". Inside Franchise Business. Retrieved March 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. Retrieved January 31, 2023. (Subscription required.)
  35. ^ "Menu". Five Guys. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  36. ^ Myers, Dan (January 19, 2017). "5 things you didn't know about Five Guys". Fox News. Retrieved October 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. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  40. ^ "Press" (Press release). Newmarket, Ontario, Canada: Five Guys. Archived from the original on April 14, 2006. Retrieved April 17, 2006.
  41. ^ "Virginia Beach Best Food & Dining". HamptonRoads.com. Landmark Media Enterprises L.L.C. Archived from the original on August 22, 2007. Retrieved June 26, 2007.
  42. ^ "Jacksonville Magazine's The Best of Jacksonville 2007" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  43. ^ Southern, Keiran (January 28, 2016). "Five Guys Newcastle restaurant could be on the menu for popular burger chain". nechronicle. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  44. ^ Lisa Joy Rosner (March 14, 2011). "Best (Bad for You) Burgers". NetBase. Archived from the original on September 1, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  45. ^ Sharon Bernstein (April 8, 2011). "Will Five Guys overtake In-N-Out?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 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 from the original on September 7, 2011. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  47. ^ Hsu, Tiffany (September 19, 2012). "Five Guys voted favorite burger chain, McDonald's near bottom". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  48. ^ "Five Guys Is Now the UK's Favorite Fast Food Burger | Washingtonian (DC)". Washingtonian. March 29, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
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