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Five Guys

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Five Guys Enterprises, LLC
Company typePrivate
GenreFast casual restaurant
Founded1986
Headquarters
Lorton, Virginia
,
U.S.
Area served
47+ U.S. states, 6 Canadian provinces.
ProductsHamburgers, french fries, hot dogs, soft drinks
Website

Five Guys Enterprises, LLC/Five Guys Holdings, LLC, doing business as Five Guys, is a fast casual restaurant chain focused on hamburgers, hot dogs, and French fries, with its headquarters in the Lorton community in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia.[1][2] The first Five Guys restaurant opened in 1986 in Arlington County, Virginia, and between 1986 - 2001 they expanded to five locations scattered through the DC-metro area.[3]

In early 2003, the chain began franchising, opening the doors to rapid expansion. In just a year and a half, permits had been sold for over 300 franchised locations, catching the attention of the national restaurant industry.[3] As of 2012, Five Guys has over 1000 locations open throughout the United States and Canada and over 1500 locations under development.[3] They were proclaimed the fastest growing fast food chain, with a 32.8% sales increase from 2010 to 2011.[4]

Food

A Five Guys' bacon cheeseburger.
Five Guys restaurants offer complimentary peanuts.

The Five Guys' menu is centered on hamburgers offered with American cheese or bacon, kosher style hot dogs, grilled cheese and vegetable sandwiches. Five Guys uses buns that are sweeter and "eggier" than normal buns.[5] Fresh-cut French fries are the sole side item, available salted only in "Five Guys style" or seasoned "Cajun style".

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. Peanuts are not permitted to be taken out of the restaurant, out of concern for spreading the allergen.[6]

Some outlets[7] also offer egg sandwiches on Five Guys' buns for breakfast.

Restaurants

Interior of a Five Guys restaurant in Charlottesville, Virginia

A Five Guys restaurant usually has a simple layout of red-and-white checkered decorations, a single counter for purchasing and picking up food, and a few tables and chairs.

Kitchens are open, with bags of potatoes stacked in customer space, dating to when lack of storage required it.[5]

Most restaurants offer wall-mounted cork boards with a stack of notecards and crayons next to them for customers to draw on.

As of April 2012, there are more than 1000 locations across 40 states and in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.[8] An additional five stores open in the USA every week.[5]

The first non North American branch will open mid-2013, in London on Long Acre, between Covent Garden and Leicester Square. The chain plans to at least 4 more restaurants in the United Kingdom in 2013. [9]

History

A Five Guys restaurant in Pittsburgh

Five Guys was founded in 1986 by Janie and Jerry Murrell, Jerry and the couple's sons, Matt, Jim, Chad, and Ben, being the original "Five Guys".[10][11] The Murrells had a fifth son, Tyler, two years later. Today all five sons, the current "Five Guys", are involved: Matt and Jim travel the country visiting stores, Chad oversees training, Ben selects the franchisees, and Tyler runs the bakery.[12] 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 Arlington at the intersection of King and North Beauregard Streets, still in operation today.

More followed in Old Town Alexandria and Springfield, Virginia, making five by 2001. Their success encouraged the Murrells to franchise their concept the following year, engaging Fransmart, a franchise sales organization. Former Washington Redskins kicker 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.[11][5] In early 2003 the chain began franchising, opening the doors a 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 1000 locations by 2012.[3]

In 2010 the company claimed to have used 123 million pounds (55,791 metric tons) of potatoes and enough peanut oil to fill the Jungle Cruise ride stream at Disneyland.[citation needed]

Reception

The restaurant uses a red and white checkered color pattern and red uniforms. Two food preparers pose for a photo in New Jersey.

Five Guys has received numerous awards in D.C. area publications, including "Number 1 Burger" by Washingtonian Magazine for seven years.[citation needed]

Since franchising, it has also received awards in other cities, including Amherst, New York; Redlands, California; Annapolis, Maryland; Charlotte, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; Huntington, New York; Charlottesville, Virginia; St. Louis, Missouri; Houston, Texas; Austin, Texas; Johnstown, Pennsylvania; State College, Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;[13] Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;[14][dead link] Virginia Beach, Virginia;[15] Jacksonville, Florida;[16][dead link] Youngstown, Ohio; Schererville, Indiana; Tucson, Arizona; Newburgh, New York and Hampton, Virginia.[clarification needed]

They have somewhat of a cult following and notable brand enthusiasm. Five Guys has been rated as one of the most talked about burger brands online.[5][17]

As Five Guys continues to expand into the West Coast comparisons have been made with In-N-Out Burger, another generally similar fast food chain. The Los Angeles Times noted that Five Guys's menu items are somewhat more expensive, they lack drive-throughs, and are most often found in 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.[4] In reality, however, In-N-Out has more in common with Checkers (fast food) while Five Guys is a similar model to Meatheads and Smashburger. [citation needed]

In 2012, Market Force Information, Inc. questioned 7,600 consumers, and Five Guys ranked No. 1 in food quality and taste, service, cleanliness, and atmosphere. [18]

In 2011, Five Guys was ranked first in "Fast Food - Large Chains" and "Best Burger" in Zagat's annual Fast Food Survey.[19]

Criticism

Men's Health magazine says that Five Guys' meals are unhealthy.[20] They state that a standard double patty burger, for example, contains 700 calories and 20 grams of saturated fat.[20] Men's Health also rated Five Guys' french fries as some of the most unhealthy food in America, saying that a standard large order of fries contains almost 1,500 calories.[21] The Center for Science in the Public Interest placed Five Guys' bacon cheeseburger, which it says contains 920 calories, among its 2010 list of most unhealthy meals available at U.S. chain restaurants.[22]

References

  1. ^ "Contact Us." Five Guys. Retrieved on October 1, 2012. "10440 Furnace Road Suite 205 Lorton, VA 22079"
  2. ^ (It previously occupied a different location in Lorton)"Contact (archived)." Five Guys. November 28, 2006. Retrieved on October 1, 2012. "Five Guys Enterprises, LLC 8390 Terminal Road Suite B Lorton, VA 22079 "
  3. ^ a b c d "About Us". Five Guys. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
  4. ^ a b [[1]. "LATimes"]. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 26, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help) Cite error: The named reference "LATimes" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c d e Karen Weise (August 11, 2011). "Behind Five Guys' Beloved Burgers". BusinessWeek. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  6. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions | Five Guys Burgers and Fries". Fiveguys.com. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  7. ^ Washington Dulles International Airport (VA/DC); LaGuardia Airport (NY); Reagan National Airport (VA/DC); Norfolk Naval Base (VA); McPherson Square (DC)
  8. ^ "History". Five Guys Holdings, LLC. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  9. ^ Thompson, James (05 April 2013). "Dunstone fleshes out business with Five Guys launch in the UK". London Evening Standard. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Rosenwald, Michael S. (April 3, 2006). "Five Guys, Taking a Bigger Bite". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 10, 2008. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  11. ^ 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. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  12. ^ Liz Welch (April 1, 2010). "How I Did It: Jerry Murrell, Five Guys Burgers and Fries". Inc. Mansueto Ventures LLC. Retrieved April 10, 2010. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  13. ^ "Press". Five Guys. Archived from the original on April 14, 2006. Retrieved April 17, 2006. {{cite web}}: Text "Newmarket , Ontario Canada" ignored (help)
  14. ^ "The Best Food – Best Of 2007". The Pitt News. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)[dead link]
  15. ^ "Virginia Beach Best Food & Dining". HamptonRoads.com. Landmark Media Enterprises L.L.C. Archived from the original on August 27, 2007. Retrieved June 26, 2007. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; August 22, 2007 suggested (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  16. ^ "Jacksonville Magazine's The Best of Jacksonville 2007" (PDF). {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)[dead link]
  17. ^ Lisa Joy Rosner (March 14, 2011). "Best (Bad for You) Burgers". NetBase. Retrieved November 9, 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  18. ^ Hsu, Tiffany (September 19, 2012). "Five Guys voted favorite burger chain, McDonald's near bottom". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  19. ^ [[2]. "HuffPostZagat"]. Huffington Post. Retrieved November 26, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  20. ^ a b "Five Guys". Men's Health — Eat This, Not That. 2008. Retrieved January 6, 2010. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  21. ^ "20 NEW Worst Foods in America". Men's Health — Eat This, Not That. Retrieved January 6, 2010. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  22. ^ Noah Galuten (May 28, 2010). "CSPI Releases Its Annual List Of The Fattiest Foods In America". LA Weekly. Retrieved May 28, 2010. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)

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