Burgers
andfries,
oh my
inside the secret to five guys' success
By Michael J. Pallerino
A
juicy burger. A fresh bun. The perfect fries. Sounds
simple, right? For Jerry Murrell and his fve sons,
that seemingly simple approach to one of the
most successful fast-casual joints around continues to work.
Opened in 1986, Five Guys Burgers and Fries can be found
everywhere these days (nearly 1,150 locations in the
United States, Canada and UK.).
For the Murrells, the strategy was pretty clear-cut: Offer your customers a good meal,
and they'll walk out the door and sell for you. From the beginning, Murrell wanted his customers to know that their investment in the Five Guys product went back into the food – hence
the simple red and white tile décor.
After garnering attention and awards from their hand-formed burgers and fresh-cut fries
cooked in peanut oil, Five Guys began franchising in 2003, kicking off a wave of Five Guys
burger followers.
To get a inside look at where the fast-casual leaders is going, Commercial Kitchens sat
down with Gregg S Elstro, director of construction for Five Guys.
What's the biggest item on your to-do list right now?
I don't have a new item, but the biggest focus is on making the product better. I do this by
assisting brokers with Five Guys' needs, aiding in design and construction, and then improving the turnover process to the operating team.
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CommerCial ConstruCtion & renovation — September : OctOber 2013