5 Guys x 87 = A Whole Lotta Burgers
Today's Washington Post reports on the rapid expansion of homegrown chain Five Guys. There are now 87 locations of the burger joint with 1,000 more in the works, the Post reports.
I was a little dismayed to walk into the food court at SouthPoint Mall in Durham, N.C., a year or so ago and see the bright red Five Guys sign glaring back at me. Its proximity to a Subway and Taco Bell seemed, in my mind, to knock it of the pedestal the chain enjoys locally.
However, in the Post story, one franchise owner, Todd Stallings, sums up why Five Guys isn't like all the other burger chains out there: "At McDonald's, the food waits for you. Here you wait for the burger. By doing that, the burger is just coming off the grill. People just appreciate that kind of special quality."
Do you think Five Guys' expansion makes it seem like less of a hometown treasure, or do you look forward to driving crosscountry and bragging every time you see one that it all started here?
I was a little dismayed to walk into the food court at SouthPoint Mall in Durham, N.C., a year or so ago and see the bright red Five Guys sign glaring back at me. Its proximity to a Subway and Taco Bell seemed, in my mind, to knock it of the pedestal the chain enjoys locally.
However, in the Post story, one franchise owner, Todd Stallings, sums up why Five Guys isn't like all the other burger chains out there: "At McDonald's, the food waits for you. Here you wait for the burger. By doing that, the burger is just coming off the grill. People just appreciate that kind of special quality."
Do you think Five Guys' expansion makes it seem like less of a hometown treasure, or do you look forward to driving crosscountry and bragging every time you see one that it all started here?