“We are the polar opposite of fast food”

His hamburger is his favorite Barack Obama. It is 100% beef. It has cheese or bacon (or both), and you can add 15 toppings for free — while other chains charge you even for ketchup. “We are the polar opposite fast food“says its general manager Five children in Spain and Portugal, Daniel Agromajorin an interview he gave to Global Consumer.

The American hamburger chain, which arrived in our country in October 2016 with the opening of the Gran Vía de Madridalready has 23 facilities spread across the capital, Barcelona, Seville, Valencia and other Spanish cities. However, there are still many Spaniards who have not tried theirs burger and their hot dogs, which can also be ordered through Just eat, Globo Y Uber Eats.

–How is Five Guys different from McDonald’s or Burger King?

–We are at 180 degrees. It’s like Lisbon and Barcelona. We are polar opposites fast food. We have no component that could associate us with this category, other than the fact that we can share the road.

—In the middle of the street, in front of many burger joints, why should a consumer choose Five Guys?

–Because of us Burger it’s the only thing that’s authentic and it’s made the way you would make it for your mother: with bread and fresh meat. Because you will see how they cook it in front of you. Because you can choose it components according to your taste. Because you can even see the cleanliness of the kitchen and the good working environment. and for music Rock and roll.

–Does fast food have a bad reputation?

–We come from a class of burghers who are very abusive. You ask anyone for a hamburger fast food, we’ve all tried this or that brand and will probably tell you it’s a low quality product. We came to break it and show that you can have a good hamburger, with 100% beef, with good bread and bacon first, with cheeses and the vegetables you want. All fresh. This is what Jerry and Janie Murrell, parents of five boys (Five Guys), dreamed of when they founded the company in 1986.

–Since then, the menu has hardly changed…

–Is true. The letter It has hardly changed since 1986. The only major innovation, and I say this with a bit of irony, was the introduction of milkshake (11 flavors that can be combined to taste and added to the vanilla base) twelve years ago. They started offering them because there was no choice dessert and we do neither coffee shops.

–Have your hamburgers and hot dogs gone up in price?

–We have not raised prices since April 2019. We are the only organized restoration brand that has not raised prices. We are now evaluating it, because the cost increases have been prohibitive. Rising energy prices eat away at all margins. The price of meat doubled. Everything is up. There are brands that hide it behind offers. Or take out a hamburger Sebastian Yatra (McDonalds) and you get a 15% price increase. We do not do promotions or marquee campaigns. To continue to pay our employees better than the competition, we will have to raise pricesbut it will be a small increase.

–What is your best-selling dish?

–We sell way more hamburgers than Hotdog. Most with cheese and bacon. Or with one of two seasonings. There is also a smaller group of customers who request it naked.

–The star supplement is also clear…

–Yes, potatoes or potato chips. He is the best marine. 20 kg sacks of potatoes arrive every morning. It’s a fresh potato. We cook them inside peanut oil (we’re famous for giving out roasted peanuts while you wait) because, nutritionally and taste, the result is excellent. You can choose them with a pinch of salt or a touch of cayenne.

–And with 15 trimmings the possibilities multiply…

–With ingredients to choose from for free, you will succeed 250,000 recipes. Everyone drives it in their own way. While traditional chains charge you even for a packet of ketchup, we offer 15 trimmings (vegetables, sauces, mushrooms, lettuce) freely and in the quantity you want. At what other restaurant can you season your dish with as much ketchup, green peppers and onions as you want and not charge for it?

–However, you don’t get a chicken burger, which many customers claim. Reach?

–I do not think. The great success of Five Guys is that they have stuck to what they originally envisioned: specializing in a 100% beef like what Jerry did to his mother in a barbecue of Michigan. A fresh beef burger. This handmade meatball. Grilled with care. Well done, but juicy. Must be beef. So I don’t think we’ll see chicken at FiveGuys.

–Does the meat come from Spanish cows?

–Comes from a family business that has cattle in the Sierra de Madrid. We work with them. they are the brothers Jimenez Barberlifelong butchers known for the brand The farmwhich is sold to The English court.

–You don’t have chicken, but you have sandwiches without beef…

–Yes. Sandwiches are the great unknown. We have three. The vegetable, which we do with the vegetables you want on the grill. One with cheese and yours trimmings. And the third is the BLT (Bacon Lettuce Tomato), which has eight slices of bacon. It is very crunchy and juicy at the same time. You can’t get it every day, but it’s great.

–What is the average ticket at Five Guys?

–It is not data that we facilitate. You get one of our hamburgers, with a cut or two of meat, and compare it to a special offer menu from one of the standard brands fast foodY Our ticket average is much higher. Our portions are much larger. Look, our small portion of fries, we suggest it be for two people. we don’t menu because our portions are great. A small hamburger costs about 6 euros. The big one, the one that carries everything, between 9.50 and 10 euros.

–Do you have more foreign or domestic customers?

–Some locations have a tourist bias, but most of the 23 restaurants do not. There is a Five Guys Basins. we have other means Vallecas. In Ariomolinos. In The engineer Y diagonal sea in Barcelona, ​​among others. Our client is basically national. What the almost one thousand families of Five Guys Spain live on is from the people here, from the people who live in Spain.

–There are locals who still don’t know you…

—The majority of Spaniards do not know us yet. Only a minority have visited us. It is also a result of the fact that we are present in only seven cities. For all this, we have the opportunity to conquer all carnivores who value quality and those they like rock and roll. People believe that by taking a burger away from home, it won’t be a quality hamburger. If they come to Five Guys, they’ll change their minds.

–Which facilities work best?

–Five Guys in Plaça Catalunya (Barcelona) is in the top 5 of our 1,600 establishments worldwide. It’s epic. the from Madrid’s Gran Via It is also very strong in sales. At first, when we opened, it was selling as much as Times Square of New York.

–What will Five Guys be in Spain in five years?

–In five years we will have managed to create a category that did not exist in Spain: Best Burger. It is a small position, but with guarantees of quality. With 100% beef. No additives or preservatives. With fresh food. And prepared with love. We will be happy if our customers appreciate the difference and understand why Five Guys is different, more expensive and worth it.