Five Guys

Entrepreneurial Leadership

Khalid Ali

Dr. Jones

Strayer University

Contemporary Business

October 30, 2012

Entrepreneurial Leadership

Five Guys, a family owned business that prides itself on making better handmade burgers, was founded in 1986. Five Guys success is the result of a $70,000 initial investment that has made them one of America’s fastest growing burger chains. This paper will explore how Jerry Murrell decision, to start a business instead of sending his boys to college turned into the Five Guys franchise it is today.

Five Guys’ Philosophy

Five Guys is a remarkable success story of how two young men was given a proposition by their parents, to make a decision to work in the family business or to go to college. Being terrified of going to college, they chose to work in the family’s business. Five Guys philosophy was simple; in order to compete with the larger hamburger chain they focus on providing a quality product, and ensuring that they satisfied their customers. The philosophy of others in that market is to provide a cheap burger and fast. This is evidenced by them having drives through and being able to serve a large amount of customers in short period of time. Quality is secondary to quantity and speed with Five Guys competitors. Five Guys’ philosophy was that if you were in a hurry, there was plenty of other fast food restaurant that served hamburgers. While some may have thought this philosophy was insane they believe the customer would appreciate quality versus speed.

Original Values

The success of the Five Guys restaurant is directly tied to their values. These values are:

* Burgers are made from 80 percent fresh lean beef that is never frozen, hand-formed and cooked to perfection on a grill

* Fries are cut daily from Idaho grown potatoes and cooked in peanut oil

* Bun are baked fresh daily

* “Providing a plant so clean could eat off the floor.”

* Abbreviated menu

* Do not cut corners

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