Five Guys Burgers and Fries: Ingredients for Success

Introduction

In this paper I will describe Five Guys Burgers and Fries and present an analysis of several factors which have made important contributions to its success as a business in the competitive market place of a free enterprise system. The first factor to be considered is the philosophy which sets the business apart from other fast food chains. I will then examine three factors that contributed to the rapid success of Five Guys: concentration on the quality of natural resources, capital, and human resources and entrepreneurship. This examination will include a discussion of what effect, if any, external markets had on these factors. Finally, I will assess how ethical and social practices are part of the Five Guys' culture and provide examples to support my choices.

In 1986, Jerry Murrell and four of his sons opened a single Five Guys Burgers and Fries restaurant in the Washington DC, Metropolitan Area. The brothers started their company placing a high value on the respect of their customers and co-workers. With their respect for customers and coworkers as their startup value they now have one of the fastest growing businesses in the US and Canada.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries compete successfully because they have found ways to translate their startup value into a philosophy that sets them apart from other fast food chains in the minds of customers. This philosophy is expressed in their mission statement, their goals, and their service promise.

As I look at the Mission Statement, Goal, and Service Promise of Five Guys Burgers and Fries, I see a philosophy with a focus on the quality of the food, the service they provide to their customers and the cleanliness of their restaurants. It starts from considering business ethics, the standards of conduct and moral value, the actions, decisions, policies and procedures of employees in the work environment.

The menu consists of burgers made to order in over 250,000 ways. There are two types of French fries. One is seasoning French fries and the second one is regular French fries and they come in two sizes, large one and small one. The French fries comes in small and large cups. The large cup is enough for three people to eat. The food is put in a nice paper wrap and then in a basket neatly. The beverage machine is one of the newer ones with about 20 kinds of drinks for your selection. All the drinks have their names and you push the button for drinks.

The employees are trust worthy, you can see them with their gloves on while making your food and they are clean and tidy with nice attire. They follow all of the guidelines that are given by the health department carefully. The burgers are always fresh, never frozen. The potatoes are all fresh for the French fries. When you are waiting for your food, you can have free roasted peanuts on the side until your food comes out. They give every customer a receipt number for the order of their food and when the food gets ready the employees bring the food on the table with happy face. This demonstrates that Five Guys Burgers and Fries chains are unique for meeting and satisfying the needs and demands of the consumers.

The three factors that contributed to five guys success in a short time are concentration on the quality of natural resources (food and Restaurant locations), capital (quantity of food, prices of food, tool and technology), human resources and entrepreneurship (customer services). Following is few examples of these factors. Sell a really good, juicy burger on a fresh bun. Make perfect French fries. Don't cut corners. That's been the business plan since Jerry Murrell and his sons opened Five Guys Burgers and Fries in 1986. "Treat that person right, he'll walk out the door and sell for you," Murrell says. Murrell says it is important to make employee feel a sense of ownership--and accountability. To motivate them,

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