Bringing a Fresh Approach to the Burger Business, Five Guys Expands Into Merrick

At first glance, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, which recently opened a location in Merrick, looks similar to most other fast food restaurants.

The walls are composed of red and white tiles reminiscent of a Checkers fast food joint.  There's a large counter at the far end of the restaurant next to the drink fountain and large section left for tables and seats.

However, lining the walls are signs reading "Willy Wonkas of Burgercraft," "Worth the Pilgrimage for Burger Lovers," in addition to numerous other accolades. Neatly organized near the front of the counter to form a line are sacks of Idaho potatoes and jars of peanut oil.

"We want to provide our customers with the best dining experience possible," says Clifford Magri, Nassau County franchisee for Five Guys.

The fast growing food chain was started approximately 25 years ago in Virginia.  Now it has expanded throughout the country and is even set to open its second international location in Vancouver sometime this year.

The Merrick location, at 2099 Merrick Rd., which opened on February 14, is just the third of 10 projected locations on Long Island. The first location to open on the island was in Levittown about two and a half years ago, Magri says.

Noting that the burger business already has steep competition from such names as McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's, Magri notes that Five Guys prides itself on its fresh product and competitive price point.

According to the company's website: "There are no freezers in Five Guys locations, just coolers. Nothing is ever frozen."

The website also notes that the menu is trans-fat free and that only fresh ground beef is used.

"As you can see we lay out our shipments of potatoes so that people can see that our product is natural fried and not frozen," Magri says, "and we fry the potato in peanut oil because it's a healthier alternative."  

According to Magri, the display of the potatoes was originally due to the lack of space for the large shipments. However, it eventually caught on throughout the chain and has become one of its staples.

Another staple of the restaurant is that it does not spend any money on advertising.

"Not a dime is spent on advertising," Magri says. "Instead we spend that money that we would spend on advertising to motivate our crew."

Every Five Guys restaurant has a secret shopping program in which customers come in two times a week and review the service that they have received. After the month is out, the best reviewed stores are given a check to split amongst its employees.

"The crew makes Five Guys," Magri says, "so it's only fitting that they get rewarded for working hard and helping us grow."

Regarding the decision to place a location in Merrick, Magri states that the community is "second to none." Five Guys has already sponsored a little league team in Merrick and has joined the Merrick Chamber of Commerce.

"Merrick is an upscale community that this restaurant fits nicely into," Magri says.

Richie Smith, a Merrick resident and casual customer of Five Guys says that,"It's not the healthiest food around, but it's definitely better than a McDonald's or Burger King."

Another Merokean Grace Esposito recently brought her two sons to Five Guys for the first time out of curiosity.

"They absolutely loved it," Esposito says.

Esposito's six-year-old son, Frank, confirms, "It's the best burger I've ever had."