Staff of the new Five Guys Burgers and Fries franchise expect large lines of customers when they open for their first day of business Wednesday.
“If half the people that told me they’re going to be here will actually be here, we’ll be busy tomorrow,” Five Guys regional manager Tim Sciutto said Tuesday.
The restaurant, which is owned by a regional franchisee whose owners are based in Southern California, is located at 100 Madrone Village, at the corner of Cochrane Road and Madrone Parkway. The restaurant is in the same shopping center as neighboring food service establishments Chipotle, Peets Coffee and Tea, Erik’s Deli.
Five Guys’ Morgan Hill location employs about 45 people, Sciutto said. Most of them are from the south Santa Clara County area.
Morgan Hill seemed like an “obvious” choice for a location in the franchisee’s prescribed territory, Sciutto said. They are also planning to open another Five Guys on Brokaw Road in San Jose in about three weeks.
On Tuesday, the restaurant was filled with employees attending a training session in preparation for Wednesday’s opening at 11 a.m.
Five Guys does not offer specials or coupons to promote their grand openings, but rather relies on its reputation for serving fresh burgers and fries made daily, with 15 options for toppings at no extra cost, Sciutto said.
“There are no freezers in the store,” Sciutto said. “It’s a little more labor intensive than some of the other franchises.”
There are about 1,100 Five Guys locations nationwide. The company was started in Virginia in 1986. There are about 15 locations in the South Bay region, though those are not owned by the same franchisee.
Patrons of neighboring businesses at Madrone Village agreed Tuesday that more burgers will be a positive addition to the community.
Brian Erdelyi, 44 of Morgan Hill, exercises at the Anytime Fitness gym next door regularly, and has noticed Five Guys’ empty storefront under development the last few weeks. Erdelyi said he won’t let the new source of saturated fat on the block threaten his exercise regimen, but he plans to try it at least once.
Steve McIntire, 44 of Alameda, visits the shopping center at least a couple times a month for his work with Paramount Global Services. He said he’s excited about the new burger joint.
“If I’m here for lunch time, I’m going there,” McIntire said.
An employee of Peet’s Coffee and Tea said the new restaurant will probably bring more traffic to the shopping center, with some spillover and more visibility to neighboring tenants likely.
“It will be nice to get more business here,” said Sai Amath, 29 of San Jose.
Five Guys Burgers and Fries will also offer online ordering via their website, www.fiveguys.com, Sciutto said. Regular hours will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week.
