Five Guys facts
The privately-held company is based in Lorton, Va.
Plans call for Five Guys Burgers and Fries to expand by 180 stores in 2009 and by an additional 200 the following year.
Five Guys takes its name for the five sons of founders Jerry and Janie Murrell.
The restaurant's menu consists of burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, fries and soft drinks.
Source: Five Guys’ Burgers and Fries
WASHINGTON TWP., Montgomery County — It was during a golf trip to South Carolina more than a year ago that Chris Mastin got his first taste of the Five Guys Burgers and Fries fast-casual restaurant.
“It was, bar none, the best burger and fries I’ve had,” Mastin said.
Good enough that he and a handful of other investors, whom he declined to name, have decided to bring the concept to Dayton.
Mastin’s group inked a franchise agreement with the Virginia-based restaurant chain about six months ago. The agreement covers not only Dayton, but also Chillicothe and Ashland in Ohio, as well as Richmond, Ind., said Mastin, a former vice president with Ladd Industries.
But in the near term, the group will focus on Dayton.
The first Five Guys restaurant, at 1057 Miamisburg-Centerville Road, will launch Oct. 19, Mastin said.
The group also wants to open another store in Beavercreek, preferably this year, and they have begun scouting locations there, he said. Further plans call for them to add a third location near the University of Dayton.
Each store will employ 25.
The eatery’s stripped-down menu includes burgers and hotdogs, veggie and grilled-cheese sandwiches and, of course, fries. Toppings, which are free, range from ketchup and mustard to jalapeno peppers. The average check for a meal of a single-patty hamburger, fries and a drink, weighs in at $8.75.
Mastin said other franchisees already have staked claims in Cincinnati and Columbus and have opened restaurants in those markets.
The franchise has its roots in Arlington, Va., where Jeremy and Janie Murrell opened the first Five Guys in 1986. By 2001, the company had added five more locations.
In 2002, the chain began selling franchises in Virginia and Maryland. The following year, it expanded its franchising operation into other parts of the country, according to its Website. The chain has 450 stores in 30 states.
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