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| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Genre | Fast casual |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Headquarters | Lorton, Virginia, U.S. |
| Area served | 40+ states, 5 Canadian provinces. |
| Products | Hamburgers, french fries, hot dogs, soft drinks |
| Website | fiveguys.com |
Five Guys is a fast casual restaurant chain that originated in Arlington, Virginia. The chain sells hamburgers, hot dogs, and French fries.
History
Five Guys was founded in 1986 by Janie and Jerry Murrell and their four sons (with Jerry and the sons being the original "Five Guys"). Jerry and Janie had a fifth son two years after opening their first restaurant; all five sons, Matt, Jim, Chad, Ben and Tyler, the current "Five Guys", are now involved in the business. Matt and Jim travel the country visiting stores, Chad oversees training, Ben selects the franchisees, and Tyler runs the bakery. The first location, which no longer exists, was in Arlington, Virginia at the Westmont Shopping Center on Columbia Pike at Glebe Road. Buns were baked by Brenner's Bakery of Arlington Inc., which was owned and operated by Gino E. Pellegrino and located in the same shopping center. Brenner's made all the rolls by hand until 2001.
The family opened new locations in Old Town Alexandria and Springfield, Virginia. By 2001, there were five locations in Northern Virginia run by the family. The restaurants had gained popularity among locals, and the Murrells decided to franchise the stores. The Murrells began franchising their concept with the help of 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 the sales of franchises, and went on to become Five Guys' director of franchise development after the Murrells ended their business relationship with Fransmart.
In 2010 the company used 123 million pounds of potatoes and they say they used enough peanut oil to fill the Jungle Cruise ride stream at Disneyland. The company's growth exploded when in 2002 the five owners started franchising the business.
As of April 2011, there are more than 750 locations across 40 states and in the Canadian provinces of Alberta,Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. An additional five stores open every week. The chain's headquarters are in Lorton, Virginia.
Reception
Five Guys has received numerous awards in D.C. area publications, including "Number 1 Burger" by Washingtonian Magazine for seven years.
Since franchising, it has also received awards in other cities, including Redlands, California; Annapolis, Maryland; Charlotte, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; Charlottesville, Virginia; St. Louis, Missouri; Houston, Texas; Austin, Texas; Johnstown, Pennsylvania; State College, Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Virginia Beach, Virginia;Jacksonville, Florida; Youngstown, Ohio; Schererville, Indiana; Tucson, Arizona; Newburgh, New York and Hampton, Virginia.
Criticism
Men's Health magazine claims that Five Guys' meals are unhealthy. They state that a standard double patty burger, for example, contains 700 calories and 19.5 grams of saturated fat. Men's Health also rated Five Guys' french fries as the 4th most unhealthy food in America, claiming that a standard large order of fries contains almost 1,500 calories (but is said to feed 3–4 people). The Center for Science in the Public Interest placed Five Guys's bacon cheeseburger, claiming that it contains 920 calories, among its 2010 list of most unhealthy meals available at U.S. chain restaurants.
Menu
The Five Guys' menu is centered on hamburgers, with several other options available. The hamburgers are divided into a "regular" burger, which consists of two beef patties, and a "little" burger that has only one patty. Both burgers are offered with American cheese, bacon, or a combination of the two for an additional charge. All other toppings are included at no additional charge. These toppings consist of: mayo, mustard, ketchup, relish, onion, lettuce, pickle, tomato, green pepper, jalapeño, grilled onion, and grilled mushrooms. Sauces include BBQ, hot sauce and A1.
The menu also includes kosher-style hot dogs, available with cheese and bacon, and grilled cheese and vegetable sandwiches (which are simply the toppings they offer for free, on a bun). There is only one side item, fresh-cut French fries served boardwalk-style and fried in pure peanut oil. The French fries come in two sizes and two varieties, regular "Five Guys style" or "Cajun" style. Most locations offer free in-the-shell peanuts for patrons to eat while they wait for their food to be cooked.
Five Guys uses unique buns that are sweeter and eggier than normal buns.
The locations at Washington Dulles International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Reagan National Airport, Norfolk Naval Base, and McPherson Square also sell breakfast, consisting of egg sandwiches on Five Guys' buns.
Restaurant layout
A Five Guys restaurant usually has a very simple layout, with red-and-white checkered decorations and one counter for purchasing and picking up food. There are tables and chairs around the restaurants for customers to sit down and eat their food. An interesting feature of most Five Guys restaurants are several cork boards placed on the walls. These cork boards have a stack of notecards and crayons next to them for customers to draw on.
Culture
The restaurant openly displays its operations through the open kitchen and the bags of potatoes near the line. The potato stacks originate from a time when the restaurant did not have any other storage space for them. The company shuns national advertising, but sent a T-shirt to President Barack Obama, which landed one of their stores a visit from the President himself. Five Guys does not use any timers in the kitchen, following the mantra that "good cooks know when food's done" and they shake the french fries exactly fifteen times. They have a somewhat cult following and notable brand enthusiasm. Five Guys has been rated as one of the most talked about burger brands online.
References
- Rosenwald, Michael S. (April 3, 2006). "The Washington Post, "Five Guys, Taking a Bigger Bite: Chain Ramps Up Expansion While Trying to Hang On to Family Charm"". Retrieved March 10, 2008.
- "Inc., "How I Did It: Jerry Murrell, Five Guys Burgers and Fries"". April 1, 2010. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
- ^ BusinessWeek. "Behind Five Guys’ Beloved Burgers." August 11, 2011.
- "History". Five Guys. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Text "Five Guys Burgers and Fries" ignored (help) - "Five Guys Homepage". Archived from the original on April 14, 2006. Retrieved April 17, 2006.
- The Best Food - Best Of 2007
- "Virginia Beach Best Food & Dining". Retrieved June 26, 2007.
- "Jacksonville Magazine's The Best of Jacksonville 2007" (PDF).
- "Five Guys - Eat This, Not That". Men's Health. 2008. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
- "Five Guys Nutritional Information" (PDF). Five Guys. October 24, 2008. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
- "Worst Fries - Eat This, Not That". Men's Health. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
- "CSPI Releases Its Annual List Of The Fattiest Foods In America". LA Weekly. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
- NetBase Burger Passion Index, March 14, 2011
External links
- Official site
- Obama stops at Five Guys for cheeseburger - MSNBC.com
- LA Burger Blog Review of Five Guys
- Things To Do Inland Empire Review of Five Guys