Five Guys

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. The first Five Guys restaurant opened in 1986 in Arlington County, Virginia, and between 1986 and 2001, the chain expanded to five locations scattered through the Washington, D.C. metro area.

In early 2003, the chain began franchising, opening the doors to rapid expansion. In a year and a half, permits had been sold for over 300 franchised locations. As of 2012, Five Guys has over 1,000 locations open throughout the United States and Canada and over 1,500 locations under development. As of 2012 the company 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, Matt, Jim, 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: Matt and Jim travel the country 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, at the intersection of King and North Beauregard Streets, which closed on September 21, 2013.