Five Guys open 140 new burger joints in the UK

The head of the Five Guys luxury burger chain said the American family company wants to double the number of British restaurants to 300 in the next few years.

Chief Executive John Eckbert said the group, whose fans include former President Barack Obama and singer Adele, is “only halfway through” its UK expansion. There are already around 160 UK websites.

Five Guys charges around £21 for a burger, milkshake and fries, which is significantly more expensive than competitors like McDonald’s and Burger King. There is also a much smaller menu.

Posh: Five Guys charges around £21 for a burger, milkshake and fries, which is significantly more expensive than competitors like McDonald’s and Burger King

The company was founded in Virginia in 1986 by the Murrell family, who still own the company. In 2013, the company opened its first UK store in London’s Covent Garden.

Eckbert said the British company had “exceeded expectations” and was now considering opening locations in airports and train stations.

It is also keen to open more drive-through branches after the first in Teesside “broke every first-week sales record”.

Although drive-throughs are an American phenomenon, the pandemic has underscored many Brits’ desire to feel, “I’m not leaving my car for this meal,” Eckbert said.

The UK has “really embraced Five Guys,” he added, and pop star Adele canceled her concert at the O2 Arena in 2016 to express her craving for one of their burgers.

New stores in Lincoln, Barton Mills in Suffolk and Bolton in Greater Manchester will open in October, including one in November at the Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet near Ellesmere Port.