Entrepreneurial Leadership: Five Guys Burger & Fries
Entrepreneurial Leadership: Five Guys Burger & Fries
Lisa Dunn
Dr. Doris Martin
BUS 505
Strayer University
October 16, 2012
“We are in the business of selling burgers” – Jerry Murrell says as one of the mission statements for his company; Five Guys Burger & Fries. Five Guys has had the same business plan since Jerry and his sons opened the first burger shop in 1986. They only use fresh ingredients never frozen. There are no gimmicks to the Five Guys philosophy; just simple food with simple ingredients. That’s how it worked while running one restaurant and that’s how it works with now over a thousand restaurants all over the U.S. and Canada (Smith, 2011, p.2). The philosophy of Five Guys is simple: fresh ingredients never frozen. There are no freezers only coolers in their restaurants. They have no drive-thru window and do not deliver. This sets them apart from many other restaurants. They are not your typical burger joint. Everything is made on premises at each individual franchised location. Most burger places are fast food, with a drive –thru window, and many options of their menu. However; Five Guys just wants to make burgers and fries. They keep a simple menu to ensure quality of food. They know they can make a great burger and are not interested in making a mediocre chicken sandwich just to put more on the menu. Five Guys also has simple advertising and décor, unlike their competitors that spend millions on fancy advertising. Jerry has said,
“Treat that person right, he’ll walk out the door and sell for you. 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 (Joiner, 2012) Five Guys values remain unchanged from when then started the business back in 1986. Jerry has said “The only thing we did right was stick to our guns (Burke 2012). They started out as
Lisa Dunn
Dr. Doris Martin
BUS 505
Strayer University
October 16, 2012
“We are in the business of selling burgers” – Jerry Murrell says as one of the mission statements for his company; Five Guys Burger & Fries. Five Guys has had the same business plan since Jerry and his sons opened the first burger shop in 1986. They only use fresh ingredients never frozen. There are no gimmicks to the Five Guys philosophy; just simple food with simple ingredients. That’s how it worked while running one restaurant and that’s how it works with now over a thousand restaurants all over the U.S. and Canada (Smith, 2011, p.2). The philosophy of Five Guys is simple: fresh ingredients never frozen. There are no freezers only coolers in their restaurants. They have no drive-thru window and do not deliver. This sets them apart from many other restaurants. They are not your typical burger joint. Everything is made on premises at each individual franchised location. Most burger places are fast food, with a drive –thru window, and many options of their menu. However; Five Guys just wants to make burgers and fries. They keep a simple menu to ensure quality of food. They know they can make a great burger and are not interested in making a mediocre chicken sandwich just to put more on the menu. Five Guys also has simple advertising and décor, unlike their competitors that spend millions on fancy advertising. Jerry has said,
“Treat that person right, he’ll walk out the door and sell for you. 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 (Joiner, 2012) Five Guys values remain unchanged from when then started the business back in 1986. Jerry has said “The only thing we did right was stick to our guns (Burke 2012). They started out as