Five Guys Bus 508

1. Enumerate three (3) factors that contributed to Five Guys’ success in such a short time and what effect, if any, external markets had on these factors.

Five Guys' rapid success is contributed to a handful of the company's staples ranging from: offering a quality product, providing great customer service and serving a simple/basic food menu. However, their decision to begin franchising their restaurant has created Five Guys into a fast food juggernaut. After 10 years, Five Guys expects to have nearly 1,000 locations throughout the United States. This year, Five Guys is expected to generate over $1 billion in sales. Five guys has tapped into a market interested in paying a higher cost for a quality product. Competitors like McDonald’s & Burger King have seen declines in burger sales over the years with a shift into a more health conscious consumer. Five Guys offers foods with zero trans fats and fresh meats.

1. Sell a really good, juicy burger on a fresh bun. Make perfect French fries. Don’t cut corners. That’s been the business plan since Jerry Murrell and his sons opened Five Guys Burgers and Fries in 1986.

2."Treat that person right, he’ll walk out the door and sell for you," Murrell says. "From the beginning, I wanted people to know that we put all our money into the food. That’s why the décor is so simple – red and white tiles. We don’t spend our money on décor. Or on guys in chicken suits. But we’ll go overboard on food."

The magic to our hamburgers is quality control," Murrell says. "We toast our buns on a grill – a bun toaster is faster, cheaper, and toasts more evenly, but it doesn’t give you that caramelized taste. Our beef is 80 percent lean, never frozen, and our plants are so clean, you could eat off the floor. The burgers are made to order. That’s why we can’t do drive-thru’s – it takes too long. We had a sign: “If you’re in a hurry, there are a lot of really good hamburger places within a short distance from here.” People...