It came up in business news this morning that the American burger operation....Five Guys....will market into Germany starting this fall.
For those unfamiliar with Five Guys....it hasn't exactly been around that long (2001 was the start-up). Their popularity (after having eaten at one) is that they make the old-style hamburger....thick....and the buns are different (sweet comes to mind as a description). It was mostly a Virginia-type operation for a couple of years and has branched out. I would take a guess that most folks in the south will say they've never eaten at Five Guys. If you live in Arlington, VA....probably fifty-percent of the public will say they've eaten at one.
One of the chief features of a Five Guys shop? Bacon-flavor milk-shakes.
So the deal in Germany? It'll appear this fall in Frankfurt....at the Zeil shopping district of town. According to EKitchen....Munich, Koln and Dusseldorf will also have operations open by the end of this year.
Will it work in Germany? I would have mixed feelings on this idea. Both Burger King and McDonalds are well established. Where Five Guys will probably find success is in mall-type situations, and tourist-type zones (Heidelberg is a good example). I also don't think this will turn up into a big footprint situation (maybe a max of a hundred across Germany).
My only knock against the franchise operation? They tend to have very limited seating. If they say they have an area big enough for 150 people....that tends to mean a large standing counter for about a quarter of the 150 people, and elbow-to-elbow space for the remaining folks. It's not a place where you'd go to spend an hour....eating and chatting. It's mostly designed to be a place where you stop in....eat....and then leave...all in the space of twenty minutes.
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