

How 5 Guys Burgers and Fries Got Started and Their Practices - swilliams
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20100401/jerry-murrell-five-guys-burgers-and-fries.html

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Glide
Wow... It's actually really nice to see how well the Five Guys franchise is
doing. I remember going to one often senior year of high school in Northern
VA. That would be like... 8-9 years ago.

It's really crazy because I drove around my old high school the other day and
a Five Guys opened in a shopping center right next to it.

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matrix
I wish I could understand what's behind the 5 Guys hype - has anyone seen an
analysis of that? It's definitely not the food quality. I've eaten at a few of
their locations and their burger patties are thin and utterly flavorless. Even
factoring that its a fast-food burger, it still pales in comparison to say,
NYC's Shake Shack or DC's Elevation Burger, and of course if you're not
talking fast food burgers, all bets are off (e.g. Ray's Hellburger in VA).

I'd like to understand why they're so popular, just to understand what makes
the business really tick. I don't think it's about the food quality; I'm
guessing it's a sort of social status thing - being "in the know" by going
there?

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jawn
Dude, you're an out of touch yuppy.

They're popular because compared to similiarly priced fare (McDonalds/Wendy's)
5 Guys might as well be michelin rated.

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matrix
I'm totally willing to believe that I'm an out of touch yuppie. I've been
living in the city way too long... heck, I'm one cinnamon soy latte away from
getting an electric bike.

(Wait, if people upvote this, does that mean I AM an out of touch yuppie? Uh-
oh.)

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RK
Which city?

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tjarratt
Great story about sticking to your ideals, and how to manage growth. I think
it's amazing how easy it is to enter the food business compared to selling
software.

If you make food, someone will be hungry and buy it. If you make software,
there is no guarantee that anyone will ever use it.

edit: I guess what I hadn't considered was that they were making _good_ food
and still serving it to people, despite competition from faster, cheaper
companies. People tend to flock to good software, so maybe they aren't that
different?

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edw519
_I think it's amazing how easy it is to enter the food business comparing to
selling software._

I've done both and AFAIC, you couldn't be further from the truth.

I've never had trouble finding customers with problems to solve with
information and always earning what most others would consider a very nice
living.

In foodservice, you will work your ass off at all hours (especially nights and
weekends), you'll sweat, be filthy, have very slim margins, and often face
brutal competition.

And if you think computer users are fickle, just try feeding people. You have
no idea.

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gamble
I have to give this guy some respect as the only honest franchisor I've ever
seen:

"We make 6 percent of sales on the franchises. All franchises work the same
way: People say they want to sell your product. So you give them a Franchise
Development Agreement that explains all the ways we can beat them down. I
don't know if I would ever sign it. We can get out of the deal a million ways,
but they are stuck."

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staunch
> _"If you're in a hurry, there are a lot of really good hamburger places
> within a short distance from here."_

This kind of thing separates different kinds of entrepreneurs very sharply.
I'm not necessarily sure one is better than the other, but I know which kind I
am. I like opinionated people, companies, and products.

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va_coder
Focus. All they serve are delicious burgers, hot dogs and fries.

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chbarts
Don't forget the free peanuts. They're different enough to serve as a hook to
make sure people remember the business.

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yesimahuman
Sucks to be allergic to peanuts (if you've been you'll understand). 5 Guys is
great.

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rmason
Remember hearing from people for a long time about 5 guys before I tried it on
a trip to D.C. Quite frankly I was underwhelmed and don't understand the hype.

The Wisconsin chain, Culver's, absolutely blows them away.

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javery
I love 5 Guys fries but reading about Thrashers reminds me of the true best
fries in the world.. if only it wasn't a six hour drive from here.

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mkramlich
I recommend that magazine for entrepreneur types. One of the few print
magazines I feel are worth a subscription.

