Trendy US burger chain Five Guys, which counts Barack Obama among its fans, has this week signed for its first UK site, in London.
Charles Dunstone, founder and chairman of Carphone Warehouse, paved the way for the UK launch of Five Guys by forming a joint venture with its parent company last year. Five Guys, which takes its name from the founding Murrell family’s five brothers, has more than 1000 restaurants in North America and will open its flagship outlet at 1-3 Long Acre, near Leicester Square Tube, this summer.
The chain plans to open at least four more restaurants in London this year, which it will follow with more in and outside the capital.
Dunstone became a fan of fast-growing Five Guys, which only serves fresh ground beef, on a trip to the US and is an equal partner in the British venture. But it faces strong competition from other burger restaurants in the West End, including Byron, Meat Liquor, Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Patty & Bun. Dunstone began selling mobile phones out of his Marylebone Road flat in 1989 and was Carphone chief executive from 1989 to 2010, helping him amass an £860 million fortune.
