Five Guys Essay

Submitted By Suede531
Words: 1465
Pages: 6
Open Document
Five Guys: An Honest Business Built on Simplicity Reyna Haynes-Smith Professor Barry Adkins Contemporary Business BUS 508 October 19, 2012

Food. It’s a major topic of discussion today. What’s healthy, what’s not. What’s filling, what’s worth the money. There are many factors that contribute to the reason consumers choose one business over another. Most choose fast food options because they don’t have the time for a sit down meal. Time is short and many want a meal that is filling but also want something healthy. Enter Five Guys Burgers and Fries. Five Guys was founded in 1986 by Jerry and Janie Murrell in Washington DC. They wanted to give their sons the opportunity to either build a business or go to college. The business route won and the family opened a carry out burger joint in Alexandria, VA. Their premise was to concentrate on the quality of their product and the satisfaction of their customer. From that a simple yet beneficial business was born. The “Keep it simple” mindset has brought Five Guys tremendous success. “Now, over 20 years after Five Guys first opened, there are over 1,000 locations nationwide and over 1500 units in development. Five Guys continues to receive media attention and has grown a cult-like following around the world”. Five Guys took many years to perfect their business practices. Many of their practices differed from those of other businesses that also offered similar menu items but Five Guys didn’t consider them competition. They wanted to create something that they believed highly in. They didn’t waste time on fancy items but wanted to focus on perfecting the few menu items that were offered. All of their menu items were fresh, never frozen. Their burgers are made of 80% lean meat and all burgers are made to order, never pre-cooked. Their fries are made from potatoes grown in N. Idaho where they grow slowly but guarantee a solid and tasty result. California and Florida grown potatoes were options where the potatoes grow faster and are cheaper but that was not an option. Their potatoes are soaked in water and pre-fried to seal them and then fried a 2nd time, which ensures that they are never greasy. Cutting corners does not give the customer quality products and their 1st priority is always the customer. Their potatoes are soaked in water and pre-fried to seal in moisture and they are fried a second time to ensure they are crisp and never greasy. These simple business practices aid in giving the customer the best product for their money. There were 3 factors that contributed to the success of Five Guys Burgers and Fries in such a short period of time. They focused on the quality of their product, they understood what makes a loyal customer, and they were able to provide an easy to understand menu. I believe there were other factors as well. Jerry Murrell refused to spend money on the decorations of his locations. He wanted the food to be the focus and speak for itself. Decoration in any Five Guys store is the same, red and white tile on the walls and bags of potatoes lined up in the front of the store. Not only did he not believe in spending money on décor, he wouldn’t spend it on advertising either. He believed that “their salesman is their customer. If they’re treated right, they’ll walk out the door and sell for you”. There are other “better burger” chains that are growing fast as well, including Smashburger, “which had 100 stores as of July 2011 but is expanding in markets including Miami and Los Angeles”(Magee, 2011). Chipotle Mexican Grill is “growing quickly for the same reasons the “better burger chains are thriving. Most people are choosing healthier food options and fresh ingredients and can get this quickly. Once owned by McDonalds, but went off on its own years ago, Chipotle, based in Denver, Colorado, develops and operates fast, casual, fresh, Mexican
Show More

Related Documents: Five Guys Essay

Five Guys Essay

STRAYER UNIVERSITY BUS. 508; CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS Assignment #1 Five Guys Burgers and Fries: Ingredients for Success By Ignatius B. Perry Sr Presented to Professor Lundondo Mumeka Five Guys Burgers and Fries: Ingredients for Success Introduction What if you woke up one day and said I would like to make the very best hamburger there is. In your mind you said I don’t want to be like McDonald, Burger King, Wendy’s or any other hamburger maker that is out there. You decided…

Words 2103 - Pages 9

five guys Essay

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. 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. I will determine how Five Guys’ philosophy sets it apart…

Words 921 - Pages 4

Five Guys Essay

Entrepreneurial Leadership Of Five Guy’s Bridget Crim Dr. Westray Business 508 April 28, 2013 A Burger and Fries restaurant chain began with a single location in Arlington, VA, which was opened by Jerry Murrell and four of his sons. The sons were given two options either they were to go to school or start a restaurant. In which they started a restaurant that has turned into an enterprise and has grown from a single family owned restaurant to a franchise with 450 locations in thirty…

Words 933 - Pages 4

Essay on Five Guys’

1. Determine how Five Guys philosophy sets it apart from other fast-food chains. Successful startups business is typically more fragile than an established business, in the sense that they can potentially grow or fail quickly with limited investment of capital. Although we don’t know how much actual money invest in the startup of Five Guys Burger and Fries, from available data, five Guys started with money from children’s college saving (Boone & Kurtz, 2012, p.78). Five Guys burger and Fries was…

Words 839 - Pages 4

Five Guys Research Paper

Tokyo, and more. The most well-known corporations are McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy's, but a new join is gaining popularity-- Five Guys. Currently, there are two Five Guys in Germany, one in Essen and the other located in Frankfurt. After hearing the "rage" of the 250,000 combinations, Jörg Luyken decided to test this fast food place out. To simply put it, Five Guys is no good. "Once I'd navigated my way through stacks of peanuts bags, I found a menu that offered almost no choice at all. There…

Words 190 - Pages 1

Swot Analysis Of Five Guys

several decades, the Five Guys franchise has made it’s mark as a top­notch burger joint. Across the United States, Five Guys is known for being a fast­casual restaurant, specializing in the “better burger” category (burgers in the $8 range). While this has presented a bit of a pain in the neck for the company, it has sufficiently maintained its regal status, and was proclaimed the fastest growing restaurant in America, as of last year. Responsible for the fame, Five Guys’s pristine quality…

Words 402 - Pages 2

The Five Guys Research Paper

came to the problem of deciding on a name, at the time he had four sons, so decided with Five Guys. When his youngest son Tyler was born that’s when the Five Guys referred to the five sons. They first started in Arlington, Virginia. The boys all wanted to franchise but in the beginning they were unable to because they couldn’t get the money to expand t other places on their own. They then ended up spreading to five other locations throughout the Northern Virginia area by 2001. Their ingredients are all…

Words 662 - Pages 3

Essay On Five Guys Burger And Fries

Entrepreneurial Leadership Five Guys Burger and Fries. For BUS 508 – Contemporary Business April 28, 2013 Five Guys Burgers and Fries know that a company cannot be everything to every customer, so instead they decided to focus on selling a good burger at a fair price. Their idea is to keep it simple and do not cut corners and this idea helps to differentiate it from the big fast-food chains. When…

Words 1264 - Pages 6

Case Study: Entrepreneurial Leadership At Five Guys

Entrepreneurial Leadership at Five Guys The Five Guys Burger and Fries Company, hereafter referred to as Five Guys, is a family owned burger carry out restaurant. It was founded in 1986 by Jerry and Janie Murrell in Arlington, Virginia (About Us: The Five Guys Story, 2013). Jerry Murrell realized his sons were not interested in college so he told them, "Start a business or go to college" (About Us: The Five Guys Story, 2013). His four sons opted for business, so…

Words 1513 - Pages 7

Assignment: Five Guys Burgers and Fries Essay

Five Guys Burgers and Fries is a restaurant whose specialist is serving burgers and fries made to order fresh any way the customer likes. Although Five Guys would be viewed as a fast food chain it has not been viewed as so due to the quality of the food and the unique focus on customer service. Five Guys Burgers and Fries had been started in 1986 by the Murrell family. The first location was opened in Arlington, VA as a carry out burger joint. The specialty was handmade burgers cooked perfect…

Words 1192 - Pages 5