Five Guys Burgers and Fries

Here follows an excerpt about the shop from the "Springfield Things" blog written by Wesley Clark:

Sunday, October 5, 2014
Five Guys

Let's see... when did we start eating here? At least ten years ago, I think. I forget how we heard of the place - it must have been word of mouth. They sell burgers like the kind you used to be able to get from individual burger stands in the 1950's and 1960's, before McDonald's and the other franchise places started to standardize hamburgers (to the considerable detriment of the customer). What more, the fries here are great! The kind you get at seashore places.

But I'm guessing you know that already - Five Guys has opened stores all over the country and is doing just fine, thank you very much.

I understand that the Springfield store shown here (on Rolling Road near the I-95 onramp) is their second - the original is near Bailey's Crossroads. Certainly they've put some money into the Springfield location and fixed it up... when we started going there it was considerably dumpier!

My wife prefers going to the newer, bigger Five Guys in Lorton. When it's cold out, this one gets a cold breeze running through the place whenever the front door is opened. Brrrrr. PLUS - the Lorton locations sells shakes, and those are old-fashioned, too, and made with real dairy products - not whatever the crap is McDonald's uses...

We occasionally meet friends here. And my pal from Southern California tells me that he prefers Five Guys to In and Out, which, from a Californian, is a very special compliment indeed.


<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>
<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>

Here follows an excerpt about the history of Five Guys from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

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.

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. 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. As of 2016, Five Guys had over 1,700 locations open worldwide, with 1,300 locations under development. It was the fastest-growing fast food chain in the United States, with a 32.8% sales increase from 2010 to 2011.

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". 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.

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.

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. 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 across the globe, reaching over 1,000 locations by 2012.

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." In November 2022, Five Guys announced the relocation of their headquarters to the Carlyle neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia.