Five Guys Burgers and Fries: 5 reasons they get an ATTABOY

9 INCH AXIOM – K.I.S.S method

‘Don’t overthink the customer experience.  Keep It Simple Stupid by delivering a great product.  Bells and whistles can be distracting and annoying’

For the last few years I’ve been a big fan of ‘FIVE GUYS Burgers and Fries’. There is a store in Milford which is about a half hour drive from my home.  

Drive 30 minutes for a burger, fries and a Coke?

YUP!  It’s amazing the lame excuses my wife and I can come up with in order to make the ‘FIVE GUYS’ run.  My favorite is that we have to get something at LOWES (because its the closest one to our house).

Our president put ‘FIVE GUYS’ on the international map back in May when he made a personal run and ordered for his staff. Why did he go to ‘FIVE GUYS’?  One theory might be that DC is the origin of ‘FIVE GUYS‘.  The first store opened in Arlington, VA back in 1986.  In the next 5 years they would open another 4 doors in DC while honing their burger skills.  Another theory would be that someone clued in Barack that for quality, value and service that ‘FIVE GUYS’ is without rival in the burger biz.

The Willy Wonkas of Burgercraft

This is the moniker that the Washington Post gave to ‘FIVE GUYS’.  High praise for the chain from its hometown paper.  9 INCH MARKETING also thinks the chain deserves kudos and therefore ‘FIVE GUYS’ is receiving an official ‘attaboy’.

The 5 reasons they deserve an ‘OFFICIAL ATTABOY’:

1. Focus - their philosophy is to focus on a few items and serving them to the best of their ability (ie.  Burgers - Nothing is frozen, lean ground beef, always cooked well done for consistency.  Fries – only from Idaho, handcut with the skin on, soaked in cold water, blanched in cholesterol free peanut oil and then refried to a perfect crisp when ordered)                                                                                                                  
2. Amount of Fries – They serve the fries in a styrofoam cup and a paper bag.  After they fill the cup they then chuck in another couple of handfuls into the bag.  You never get short changed on fries at ‘FIVE GUYS’.                                                                                                             
3. Personalization – They took a page from Starbuck’s.  Everyone has the ability to customize their burger.  There are over 250,000 potential combinations.                                                                                                                                                            
4. No frills simplicity –  The tone of the place is substance (food) over style (decor).   The red and white tile scheme is minimalist, best described as a cross between a military canteen and a 1950s diner .  The burgers are served in tin foil and the fries in a brown paper bag.  Both have no branding.  Everything underscores the fact that you are going to get some great food at a tremendous value.                                                                                                                                                                                                             
5. Peanuts – This is an absolutely brilliant example of lagniappe (a little something extra).  One of the signatures of ‘FIVE GUYS’ are the free peanuts they serve.  There is a huge box when you walk in.  In the early days the long lines forced the brothers to distribute free, unshelled peanuts to placate waiting customers. The peanuts have become a FIVE GUYS trademark.

Today’s Lagniappe (a little something extra) – Backstory on the name ‘FIVE GUYS’, the Milkshake conundrum, Agassi quote and the origin of Stacy’s chips

Backstory: There really are five guys: Jim, Matt, Chad, Ben, and Tyler. And they are the sons of Jerry Murrell, CEO of FIVE GUYS Famous Burgers and Fries, and his wife Janie. The “guys” were each given the choice to go to college or buy into the family business.  [Nice job boys . . . great career decision.  I can see the PSA now, "Stay out of school, its your best move]

Milkshake Conundrum:  FIVE GUYS may be the only burger chain where a milkshake isn’t on the menu.  According to their website, “If we were to add to our menu, then you can guarantee that we would only do so if we could serve the highest quality product possible. For example, there are a lot of great milkshakes out there, and at this point we think that others are doing it better than we could!”  [Give them credit for having standards]

Andre Agassi quote:  I was reminded about a story of a young 21 year old Andre Agassi.  Agassi was interviewed after thrashing Karl Novacek 6-0, 6-0 in the final two sets of a deciding Davis Cup match.  This is one of my favorite quotes of all time:

“There are two things I live by.  Number one, you can never beat somebody too bad, especially in Davis Cup; and number two, you can never drive too far for Taco Bell.”

Origin of Stacy’s Chips:   The unshelled peanuts story from ‘Five Guys’ made me remember the story behind Stacy’s Pita Chip Co.  The company was founded in 1997 by a social worker and a psychologist with a passion for good food and a commitment to healthy living. Without the capital to open a restaurant, Stacy Madison and Mark Andrus began serving healthy pita bread roll-up sandwiches in Boston’s Financial District. As an incentive for customers waiting in line, they baked the leftover pita bread to create different flavored chips. Thus, the Stacy’s Pita Chip Co. was born.  [Stacy's was purchased by Pepsi's Frito Lay  in 2005]

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