...Five Guys Burgers and Fries: Ingredients for Success Contemporary Business 508 July 21, 2012 Five Guys Burgers and Fries: Ingredients for Success By sticking to the basic philosophy of keeping it simple, Jerry Murrell, original owner of Five Guys Burgers and Fries, has grown a small family business to one of the largest and fastest growing franchise in America. “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 their first store location in 1986. (Welch, 2010, p. 76) This philosophy is different from competitors who rely on gimmicks and advertisements to entice customers. It is not unusual for competing fast food chains such as McDonalds, Burger King and Wendy’s to introduce new menu items. The new menu item may establish a permanent presence on the menu or disappear, never to be heard of again, shortly after the introductory period. The life span of the new item, unfortunately, is determined by customer response. These chains cater to our wants, our desires and our convenience. In the words of Burger King – “have it your way”. Most of us have experienced at least one of these chains, if not all, and can attest that the customer experience with food quality, facility and service often varies by location. Then there is Five Guys Burgers and Fries with a philosophy that has not changed since the day it opened. ...
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...Entrepreneurial Leadership: Five Guys Burgers and Fries At the heart of every entrepreneur is a drive and motivation to take an idea and see it evolve into a fully functional and striving business. To see a business progress and be successful there has to be vision, fearlessness, determination, and resources. When these things are in place a dream can become reality. A true entrepreneur knows this and will do what it takes to bring the vision to pass. “Treat that person right, he'll walk out the door and sell for you." This statement embodies the belief and philosophy of Five Guys Burger and Fries owner Jerry Murrell. From the beginning Mr. Murrell wanted the focus of the company to be on producing a quality product and customer satisfaction. In a world where there is a fast food restaurant on every corner, there has to be something to make one establishment stand out from the others. Five Guys’ stance on quality and satisfying the customer has gotten them many awards and recognition over the years. They have proven to be a grade above most of their competitors. From day one Five Guys has stayed simple by sticking with the basics. The company was founded on the principles of quality, great customer service, and cleanliness. The company wants the place so clean the floor could be eaten off of. As reviewed in “Five Guys Burgers and Fries: Ingredients for Success”, they take pride in cooking fresh meat and having their fries grown in Idaho which is considered...
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...Five Guys Burgers and Fries: Ingredients to Success Several characteristics of the national burger chain, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, sets it apart from other fast-food chains. These characteristics include the company’s philosophy, its original values, ethical and social practices, and its overall company culture. Without a doubt, a company who embodies all of the above characteristics is surely worth a more detailed exploration. The Philosophy A company’s philosophy highlights the overarching goal of its operation. In addition, it can help a company set itself apart from its competitors. This is precisely what occurred at Five Guys Burgers and Fries. According to its website, www.fiveguys.com, the company philosophy is “focusing on a few items, and serving them to the best of our ability.” As opposed to most of their competitors, Five Guys Burgers and Fries invest their money into the quality of the food instead of marketing. Five Guys' owner, Jerry Murrell believes "Our best salesman is our customer. Treat that person right, he'll walk out the door and sell for you." (Welch) This type of philosophy clearly sets the company apart from others. Not only does Five Guys Burgers and Fries have a powerful philosophy, the company also has original core values that remain strong today. Original Values Five Guys’ original values were created simple. "Sell a really good, juicy burger on a fresh bun. Make perfect French fries. Don’t cut corners." ” It is vitally...
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...business. With this decision Five Guys was found in mid 1980’s including all the children in the family into the business. In less than a period of ten years, the business expanded to different locations. Gaining experience, franchising the business to operators, getting recognition from its customers, the business grew up rapidly. Five Guy’s and their business are not limited to U.S. Today, there are about 670 stores across U.S and Canada. What is the company’s sanctified philosophy that enabled it to best compete with its counter fast food chains? How the original values of the start-up company remained strong today? What are the possible factors that contributed to the success of the business in such a short time? How is Five Guys responsive to its customers and the community at large? This case study examines issues brought for the discussion using the interactive case study “Five Guys Burgers and Fries: Ingredients for Success” and other body of literature as a secondary source. Five Guy’s Philosophy Five Guy’s strongly believe living by strong values is the key to good business. It seems that Murell and his family strictly adhere to the values they set at the heart of every decision they make and in their daily operations of the business. As we heard the story, the basic philosophy of Five Guys’ is that they believe in the quality of their product and the satisfaction of their customers. No matter how long the time takes to prepare a burger with all the 17 toppings, they...
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...Soon thereafter Five Guys Burgers and Fries was born. The Murrell family opened the restaurant in Arlington, Virginia in 1986, quickly becoming an institution in the area. From 1986-2001 the Murrell family business went from one location to five in the Washington – DC metropolitan area. In 2003 the Murrell’s decided to give franchise opportunities and have exploded nationally, becoming America’s Fastest Growing Fast-Food Chain. In this analysis I will determine the Five Guys philosophy and differentiating factors from its competitors. I will also analyze the firm’s original values, and other factors that have contributed to its explosive success as a start-up and over the last 10 years. The Philosophy and Original Values The philosophy of Five Guys Burgers and Fries has been to “sell a really good, juicy burger on a fresh bun. Make perfect French fries. Don't cut corners. (Welch)” Five guys competes in what is known as the fast-casual restaurant market. This is a mix of the traditional fast-food / quick service restaurant like McDonalds and more casual dining entities such as Applebees. By focusing on quality as a primary driver rather than speed it creates a sub-set within the restaurant industry. Five Guys has a very a limited menu and focuses its attention towards creating the highest quality burgers and fries at a reasonable price point. Jerry Murrell, founder, chief executive and father of the “Five Guys” is committed to nothing less than the best burger and has continued...
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...Five Guys Burgers and Fries: “Ingredients for Success” Dr. B. Iannucci Contemporary Business October 17, 2013 Entrepreneurial Leadership Everyone wants to see their children grow up and go to college and possibly become millionaires. Well that was the dream of the Jerry Murrell, but unfortunately two of the oldest sons said they were not going to college. So instead of paying for college he found himself paying for a mortgage to open a business where the boys can work and learn responsibility. The rest is history. Dave Kurtz’s (2012) wrote, “Five Guys and a Burger grew to 570 franchises in the United States and Canada.” Determine how Five Guys’ philosophy sets it apart from other fast-food chains. The philosophy that set Five Guys apart from other fast-food chains was that Jerry Murrell’s strong focus on the quality of the food and type of food served, and the customer satisfaction. Jerry Murrell once stated “Treat the person right, sell walk out the door and sell for you.” (Weise, 2011) Analyze the original values for the start-up, and how it still remains today. The original value of the company for the start-up was to have value and perfection within the company. This is still the case today. Five Guys insist on making the quality of food served (fresh hamburgers, hotdogs, and only Idaho potatoes for the fries) and customer serve a first priority. All the restaurants feature the same simple, red and white tile décor and no paid advertisement, which is done...
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...“Five Guys Burgers and Fries: Ingredients for Success” Case Study Beverly Jackson Professor: Paul Jaikaran BUS50829VA016-1126-001: Contemporary Business July 22, 2012 Five Guys Burgers has been a Washington, D.C. area favorite since 1986 when Jerry and Janie Murrell opened their first restaurant in Arlington, Virginia after two of their four sons did not want to attend college (Bonne &Kurtz, 2012). They advised their sons to “Start a business or go to college.” The Murrell’s decided to use the money intended for their son’s college tuition to open a place where consumers could get a fresh, juicy burger with all the toppings you could stuff between fresh-baked buns using top quality ingredients. Five Guys sets themselves apart from other fast-food chains because they use the philosophy of concentrating on fresh food. Jerry Murrell believed that in order to effectively compete with large and well established fast food chains, they would need to concentrate on the quality of their product, and the satisfaction of their customers. In his own words, Jerry Murrell’s business plan was simple “sell a really good, juicy burger on a fresh bun. Make perfect French fries, Don’t cut corners” (Boone & Kurtz, 2012). They are determined to provide the best quality burger they can while offering as many topping as possible. In fact they only use 80% lean beef which is always fresh, never frozen (they do not own freezers only coolers). The potatoes used to make fries come...
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...Five Guys is a fast casual restaurant chain that originated in Arlington, Virginia within the Washington Metropolitan Area (York). The chain sells mainly hamburgers, hot dogs and French Fries (York). Five Guys enterprises has grown from a single family owned restaurant to a franchise with 450 locations in thirty states (York). Five Guys opened its doors to Arlington, Virginia in 1986 (York). The restaurant was started by four brothers who were given the choice to start a business or go to college by their parents (York). The burger and fry shop drew in a ‘cult-like’ clientele base which demanded the opening of four additional locations in the Metro D.C. area between 1986 and 2001 (York). At that point, the family decided that they should expand beyond D.C. to give more people the opportunity to experience their food (York). In 2002, they opened franchise opportunities limited to D.C., Virginia, and Maryland, and in 2003 to the rest of the country (Five Guys Inc., 2008). Five Guys philosophy sets apart from other fast-food chains by their uniqueness or originality. Their concept is different and like very well was able to compete with other burger restaurants. Their philosophy is a simple minimalist menu of freshly prepared food, served nearly the speed of a fast-food establishment. The business plan for Five Guys since 1986 has been simple, sell high quality food in a clean and friendly environment with excellent customer service, while not cutting corners (York)...
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...Five Guys has the Right Combination for Success Strayer University BUS508 Dr. Peter DeDominici August 14, 2012 Five Guys has the Right Combination for Success According to the Five Guys website, Five Guys Burger and Fries (Five Guys) started humbly with one restaurant owned by Jerry Murrell and his family back in 1986 and is now being called one of the largest fast food businesses with over 1,000 locations in the United States and Canada today (www.fiveguys-about Us). Five Guys’ successful model of entrepreneurial leadership included a passion for a good idea, hard work and experiences to build a burger business in the fast-casual dining industry. Jerry Murrell shared his vision and values to his customers through suppliers, employees and now franchisees in a way that has allowed the company’s popularity to soar. To determine how Five Guys’ philosophy sets it apart from other fast-food chains I needed to understand the difference between fast-food and fast-casual dining. In the last several years I noticed that fast-food restaurants like McDonalds and Wendy’s have improved their décor and menu choices. Sanburn (2012) indicated that fast-food restaurants were redefining themselves just to compete with a fast-casual restaurant (like Five Guys). Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Technomic was quoted saying, “Fast casual has raised the bar. When your competitors are doing this, you don't want to lose relevance" (Sanburn, 2012, p.60). I concluded that fast-casual...
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...Determine how Five Guys’ philosophy sets it apart from other fast-food chains. 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 their first burger joint in 1986. When they began selling franchises in 2002, the family had just five stores in northern Virginia. Today, there are 570 stores across the U.S. and Canada, with 2009 sales of $483 million. Overseeing the opening of about four new restaurants a week, the Murrells are proof that flipping burgers doesn't have to be a dead-end job. Four years ago, before franchising, Five Guys was just a little family burger operation with five locations and a steady, if cultish following, in Northern Virginia. Today the business is by some estimates heading toward $1 billion in value. Five Guys has 87 locations. Most are in the Washington region, but a hundred more will open along the East Coast this year, and another thousand are being phased in. Each store, the company says, pulls in about $1 million a year. How Janie and Jerry Murrell and their five sons, the Five Guys, so quickly bit into the nation's $58 billion-a-year burger business is a little bit of a burger whodunit. The Murrells can be gregarious, but they are given to moments of silence when asked how their business grew so big. Their success probably includes a combination of ingredients, though: keeping the business strategy simple (sell burgers and fries) while implementing...
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...exist reliable sources of information. In recent years, there has been an increase of connecting ideas of the transformation of fasts foods. Although some arguments claim the reason is one clause over the other, some will divert and stray off topic. They exert random facts to either make the claim reasonable or by overflowing them with sources that seems reliable from authoritative figures. Rabin article “Proximity to Fast Food a Factor in Student Obesity” goes to say: Ninth graders whose schools are within a block of a fast-food outlet are more likely to be obese than students whose schools are a quarter of a mile or more away, according to a study of millions of schoolchildren by economists at the University of California and Columbia University. (Rabin) The basis of proximity and obesity are non sequitur ideas. The field of study was limited and difficult to draw a conclusion because there is no reliable comprehensive connection. Researching related concepts such as types of foods, productions, and manufacture, connect with fast food resulting in student obesity are better. Although there is relevance to the idea of proximity...
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...ase 3–6: McDonald’s and C KFC: Recipes for Success in China Quick Service Restaurant Giants in the Middle Kingdom In 2008, McDonald’s and KFC were the two largest quickservice restaurants (QSR) in the world, with 31,999 and 15,580 outlets, respectively.1 Both chains were renowned for their broad spectrum of consumers on a global basis. McDonald’s appeared to be a clear winner in international expansion. It had over 17,500 international outlets and was the first corporation to set up a solid foundation for international franchising. It spearheaded global expansion with its first overseas outlet in Canada in 1967, and entered Japan in 1971.2 McDonald’s outlets had tremendous success in Japan—despite the difference in culture— with record-breaking daily sales and speed of expansion in the initial stage.3 KFC also started international expansion early, opening its first overseas outlet in England in 1964. However, it was given a bumpy ride when it began to penetrate the market in Asia. The Japanese outlets were far less successful than McDonald’s and only started to make a profit in 1976, six years after KFC entered Japan. KFC outlets opened in Hong Kong in 1973 but were all closed down within two years. The company would eventually win the confidence of Hong Kong customers ten years after its first entry. In Taiwan it experienced relatively smoother development, although KFC headquarters was to spend a huge amount of money and effort in order to get the...
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...EXECUTIVE SUMMARY McDonald’s is a quick service restaurant founded in 1955 by Ray Kroc. From its early days of serving burgers, McDonald’s has grown into a global household brand. McDonald’s now has restaurants in over 100 countries and has become the 9th most powerful global brand according to Interbrand. McDonald’s aims to be “customers’ favorite place and way to eat and drink.” However, as the fast food industry has progressed, McDonald’s has lost its identity as that favorite place and is no longer at the cutting edge of the industry. McDonald’s makes every effort to localize its offerings to the consumer segments it appeals to around the world, catering to local tastes and flavors. The company also tries to segment by income level and cater to consumers on varying budgets with its Dollar Menu, premium items, and extra value meals. McDonald’s does not differentiate itself in any one category of fast food, with competitors dominating in taste in other categories, but it does stand out for its variety and convenience. Due to the fact that McDonald’s does not provide the best fare in any given category, it has relied heavily on positive advertising and messaging that targets emotions. McDonald’s messaging focuses on building the brand and highlighting the emotion of happiness. This can be seen in commercials and the long-time slogan of “I’m Lovin’ It,” for example. In order to understand what the brand truly means to consumers, our group conducted a number...
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...Learning Objectives Chapter 1 Distinguish between microeconomics and macroeconomics. Explain the factors that drive demand and supply. 2 Describe each of the four different types of market structures in a private enterprise system, and compare the three major types of economic systems. 3 3 Identify and describe the four stages of the business cycle. Explain how productivity, price level changes, and employment levels affect the stability of a nation’s economy. 4 Discuss how monetary policy and fiscal policy are used to manage an economy’s performance. 5 Describe the major global economic challenges of the 21st century. Economic Challenges Facing Contemporary Business Rudyanto Wijaya/iStockphoto Copyright ©2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. NASCAR Tries to Restart Its Engine ASCAR is widely known as the most popular spectator sport in the United States. Yet even its most diehard fans are tapping the brakes when it comes to buying tickets to their favorite speedway. Tracks in cities such as Phoenix and Talladega have reported double-digit percent declines in attendance. Just as worrisome is the fact that, instead of watching races at home, fans are changing the channel. Some critics of NASCAR blame a drop in dramatic action and a mandated car chassis design that leaves car models undifferentiated. Others say that the races are just too long and the broadcast commentary is boring. But NASCAR defenders argue that there’s another huge obstacle: the...
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...MMGP: Research Paper Final Business 520 Introduction In determining what makes a business successful one must consider all aspects of a firm. One of the most important factors of success is imbedded in the marketing management team of a company. In this project, Subway’s marketing strategy is thoroughly researched to reveal why the firm is thriving among fast food chains around the world. This is done through researching the background on the company, analyzing the fast food market, identifying the position/competition/brand, evaluating the services and pricing, and finally considering promotions/marketing. Through the breakdown of these subjects it will be apparent that Subway is not only one of the leading firms in its industry, it will also show that it has outshined companies across the world in marketing management. Provide a description of your product/service and a brief history of the firm that produces your product/service. Subway is a fast food restaurant franchise that specializes in the submarine sandwiches. It is owned and operated by Doctor’s Associates, Inc. Subway’s headquarters is located in Milford, Connecticut. The franchise has five regional offices to oversee its international operations. The regional offices for Europe are located in Amsterdam, regional offices for Australia and New Zealand are located in Brisbane, regional offices for Asia are located in Beirut and Singapore, and regional offices for Latin America are located in Miami, Florida...
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