It has been a while since the last post -- more on that later. However, what better way to get it rolling again than watching a spectacle like the making, and then consumption of an 11-patty burger in Marlborough. Yes, this one goes to eleven. The guest's name is Jonathan Caparso, and we did indeed put his picture on the wall. Thanks to our GM Rich Lanza for forwarding this to me, and to Victor, Doug and Marcus for making it happen.
Here's what it looks like on the grill.
Here is the eating of the 11 patty burger.
Showing posts with label six guys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label six guys. Show all posts
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Almost... there...
A lot of you have asked when our opening day will be; rather than reply one at a time, I thought I would post an entry instead to give you the inside story.
The short answer: it's looking more and more like early April, and we are working really hard to get it as early as possible.
The longer answer: we still have a few things left to do before we can open the doors. They fall into a couple of categories.
First is finishing construction, especially completing the grease trap installation. Grease traps are usually tricky items because they are very expensive, subject to many town regulations (for good reason, obviously), bulky and difficult to handle, and can require ripping up the parking lot. Once this is done, and the final touches are put on the place, we can get our "certificate of occupancy", or CO, from the town, which basically is their seal of approval on our buildout. We have done everything we can to position ourselves well here, but there's no such thing as a sure thing. Even once we have the CO, we have to put on the finishing touches like hanging the signs and building the chairs and tables. Yes, we have to put those together ourselves.
Second is hiring and training the staff. We are currently hiring for all spots, or rather, our management team of General Manager Rich Lanza, and two AM's, Doug Oelbaum and Matt Eidelman, are working on that. We have received at least 50 applications over the web and even more in the store. But we need to hire a lot of people and even in this economy, that takes time. Training is a multi-step process that involves the managers visiting Five Guys' training program at headquarters in Lorton, VA, and then completing at least 2 weeks working in a nearby store. This part is basically done.
Then once the staff is hired, Five Guys send corporate trainers to train the newly-hired staff, and help run the store once it opens. This part is left to do. Five Guys takes this part very seriously as they not only want to help us be successful, but really want to protect their brand. Because they don't do any advertising, word-of-mouth on the brand is crucial so they take no chances here.
Finally, there are a few systems left to install as well, most notably the "Point-of-Sale" system, or POS. The POS is the brains of the operation and can't be installed until the CO is done. Once it's installed, we have to enter all of the employees and further customize it, which also takes time. We also are putting in a camera security system which will enable us to watch the store via the Internet.
So that's the deal. When we have an official date, we'll let people know, but for now, we're still on target to hit sometime in early April.
The short answer: it's looking more and more like early April, and we are working really hard to get it as early as possible.
The longer answer: we still have a few things left to do before we can open the doors. They fall into a couple of categories.
First is finishing construction, especially completing the grease trap installation. Grease traps are usually tricky items because they are very expensive, subject to many town regulations (for good reason, obviously), bulky and difficult to handle, and can require ripping up the parking lot. Once this is done, and the final touches are put on the place, we can get our "certificate of occupancy", or CO, from the town, which basically is their seal of approval on our buildout. We have done everything we can to position ourselves well here, but there's no such thing as a sure thing. Even once we have the CO, we have to put on the finishing touches like hanging the signs and building the chairs and tables. Yes, we have to put those together ourselves.
Second is hiring and training the staff. We are currently hiring for all spots, or rather, our management team of General Manager Rich Lanza, and two AM's, Doug Oelbaum and Matt Eidelman, are working on that. We have received at least 50 applications over the web and even more in the store. But we need to hire a lot of people and even in this economy, that takes time. Training is a multi-step process that involves the managers visiting Five Guys' training program at headquarters in Lorton, VA, and then completing at least 2 weeks working in a nearby store. This part is basically done.
Then once the staff is hired, Five Guys send corporate trainers to train the newly-hired staff, and help run the store once it opens. This part is left to do. Five Guys takes this part very seriously as they not only want to help us be successful, but really want to protect their brand. Because they don't do any advertising, word-of-mouth on the brand is crucial so they take no chances here.
Finally, there are a few systems left to install as well, most notably the "Point-of-Sale" system, or POS. The POS is the brains of the operation and can't be installed until the CO is done. Once it's installed, we have to enter all of the employees and further customize it, which also takes time. We also are putting in a camera security system which will enable us to watch the store via the Internet.
So that's the deal. When we have an official date, we'll let people know, but for now, we're still on target to hit sometime in early April.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Starting to look like a Five Guys - Marlborough pictures
We're getting there -- I took these pictures at our Marlborough store this morning. The DCM guys were laying tile (and they were perfectionists about it) when we got there around 10am. The progress in the last 2 weeks has been pretty incredible.
This is a shot from the front of the restaurant - you're looking at what will be the seating area as seen from the front, and on the left is the counter. If you've seen the Dedham store, it's basically the same layout.
This is the grill area -- no sizzling yet, but there will be. The guys were also working on some of the ventilation/duct work behind it while we were there this morning.
Fries, anyone? One thing's for certain: we have plenty of baskets. We paid up for the higher volume units (4, not 3) in anticipation of more hungry customers than the average store in the chain.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
First Lady at 5 Guys, Off to Burger U
Michelle Obama went with her "staff" to Five Guys - no picture, but a nice mention in the New York Times. Regardless of your politics, you have to admit it's a good sign when she could probably have taken them anywhere and ended up at Five Guys, especially since as a Chicago person she couldn't have known about them UNLESS SOMEONE REALLY RECOMMENDED IT TO HER. On top of that, she ordered a cheeseburger, fries and a soda, so she at least knows something about economic stimulus that works.
Tonight I am heading off to Lorton, VA for a couple of days at Five Guys Burger University (my words, not theirs.) I am ready with my red t-shirts and baseball cap. The red shirts connote that I will be a crew member, not a manager, and the main thing the cap will show people is that I have a small head and look ridiculous in a one-size-fits-all hat. That's entrepreneurship. My partner Marc is taking the 2nd half of the week; since we aren't going to be working in the stores ourselves, we don't have to complete the whole week of 8am-11pm days and the certification test on Friday. That said, our feeling is that if we are going to be owners, we need to have some basic understanding of what it's like to actually work in the business. I have done similar things in my tech business life (sitting on the customer support desk, etc.) I didn't have to buy work shoes for those gigs though.
I'm heading down with our manager (Rich Lanza) and our assistant manager (Doug Oelbaum). This past week was huge as we got them introduced and starting to talk about running the store, which we are very confident in their ability to do. Also, demolition started on our site, we had a big architectural breakthrough for our next site, we finalized our construction contract, and are generally working our way down the "punchlist"; the punchlist is the 5 Guys project plan, if you will, on how to open a store. It is OK and ever-changing, so we have had to figure out a lot on our own. Yet another reason to attend burger school to find out how these restaurants actually run.
More from Virginia after the first long day.
Tonight I am heading off to Lorton, VA for a couple of days at Five Guys Burger University (my words, not theirs.) I am ready with my red t-shirts and baseball cap. The red shirts connote that I will be a crew member, not a manager, and the main thing the cap will show people is that I have a small head and look ridiculous in a one-size-fits-all hat. That's entrepreneurship. My partner Marc is taking the 2nd half of the week; since we aren't going to be working in the stores ourselves, we don't have to complete the whole week of 8am-11pm days and the certification test on Friday. That said, our feeling is that if we are going to be owners, we need to have some basic understanding of what it's like to actually work in the business. I have done similar things in my tech business life (sitting on the customer support desk, etc.) I didn't have to buy work shoes for those gigs though.
I'm heading down with our manager (Rich Lanza) and our assistant manager (Doug Oelbaum). This past week was huge as we got them introduced and starting to talk about running the store, which we are very confident in their ability to do. Also, demolition started on our site, we had a big architectural breakthrough for our next site, we finalized our construction contract, and are generally working our way down the "punchlist"; the punchlist is the 5 Guys project plan, if you will, on how to open a store. It is OK and ever-changing, so we have had to figure out a lot on our own. Yet another reason to attend burger school to find out how these restaurants actually run.
More from Virginia after the first long day.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Best of What's New - Boston
Five Guys was named "Best of What's New" in Boston by the Globe -- here is the text of the article:
There are many burger places around the Boston area, so this honor is a great accomplishment for Five Guys.
Our franchise group is looking forward to getting our first store open shortly -- construction starts next week -- and to getting our second store signed up. Looks like there will be another award sign we can put on the wall...
Five Guys Burgers and Fries
There's no better place to satisfy a burger craving than Five Guys, and (finally!) two have opened locally, in Dedham and Foxborough. Started in a suburb of Washington, D.C., the rapidly expanding fast-food franchise will quickly have you falling for the juicy, greasy stacks. Single and double burgers are made to order (but they're always well done), and you pick from 15 classic toppings."
There are many burger places around the Boston area, so this honor is a great accomplishment for Five Guys.
Our franchise group is looking forward to getting our first store open shortly -- construction starts next week -- and to getting our second store signed up. Looks like there will be another award sign we can put on the wall...
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Phantom Gourmet on Five Guys
Our neighbor franchisee, Sean Olson, recently had the Phantom Gourmet visit his store to shoot a video and review the burgers. Here's that video, courtesy of Christine Dykes of Conviser Group (his real estate broker):
Take a look -- definitely worth the 4 minute time investment to get a sense of what the fuss is all about.
Take a look -- definitely worth the 4 minute time investment to get a sense of what the fuss is all about.
Management
We are in the process of hiring our first General Manager, who we hope will become a partner in the business as it grows into what should be a $25M enterprise. This is not a post about that process (more on that when it's actually complete). It is a post on why we believe management matters and are willing to buy more than we need on day one.
First, an anecdote about getting our Marlborough store built. The process begins with architectural plans submitted to 5 Guys, who wants to make sure that we stuffed enough tables into the space and actually have a kitchen and bathrooms. Fair enough. This part was pain-free for us as we hired an architect who has done 5 Guys stores before and appears to be at the top of their game. Then, the plans are submitted along with a form to the Health Department in Marlborough, along with a check to cover the application fee.
That last piece is mundane, but think for a second about what has to happen there. They start the form. We have to finish the form, and someone has to write the check and mail it in. Mediocre management - which is inexpensive, easy-to-find, and retained by continuing to pay a salary - means they start the form, mail it to us, and then we mail it back to them along with a check, and then they mail it in to the town. This is how it's typically done, and it eats probably 7 business days.
Or, we could collaborate on filling it out, either electronically via email or over the phone, and then they could mail it in that day by writing the check themselves and billing us later. Thinking creatively about this is what good management gets you. Why does this matter? In 5 Guys world, getting open 7 days earlier equals thousands in cash flow. And cash flow is a linchpin of building a big fast-casual dining business.
Yes, great management is indeed more expensive, hard-to-find, and trickier to motivate and retain. But it is indispensable, which is why we are focused on hiring someone who can become a partner.
First, an anecdote about getting our Marlborough store built. The process begins with architectural plans submitted to 5 Guys, who wants to make sure that we stuffed enough tables into the space and actually have a kitchen and bathrooms. Fair enough. This part was pain-free for us as we hired an architect who has done 5 Guys stores before and appears to be at the top of their game. Then, the plans are submitted along with a form to the Health Department in Marlborough, along with a check to cover the application fee.
That last piece is mundane, but think for a second about what has to happen there. They start the form. We have to finish the form, and someone has to write the check and mail it in. Mediocre management - which is inexpensive, easy-to-find, and retained by continuing to pay a salary - means they start the form, mail it to us, and then we mail it back to them along with a check, and then they mail it in to the town. This is how it's typically done, and it eats probably 7 business days.
Or, we could collaborate on filling it out, either electronically via email or over the phone, and then they could mail it in that day by writing the check themselves and billing us later. Thinking creatively about this is what good management gets you. Why does this matter? In 5 Guys world, getting open 7 days earlier equals thousands in cash flow. And cash flow is a linchpin of building a big fast-casual dining business.
Yes, great management is indeed more expensive, hard-to-find, and trickier to motivate and retain. But it is indispensable, which is why we are focused on hiring someone who can become a partner.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
A Good Burger is About More than Food
First of all, welcome to readers of A Hamburger Today, one of the best burger blogs I've found so far. There's a link to the blog on the side for anyone wants to check it out.
We are well into our search for our first store general manager. Through ads in the Boston Globe (semi-productive) and several online resources (much more productive - not a good omen for newspaper people), we found a number of good candidates and are starting to zero in on the right person.
Who is the right person?
Marc and I have a certain business philosophy, which is that no matter what product you buy, the service is a key point. We leave perfecting the burger concoctions to the experts: Five Guys and the customer. Among many other things, the manager's job is to make sure that the environment in which you experience the burger is the best it can be. Here are a few things about what that means:
The store is clean
This is so obvious that it seems strange to write it. However, it is actually difficult to achieve. This is especially true in a store that is physically too small -- so, as partners we are nervous about stores with small footprint. But when a candidate notices the crumbs on the radiator at Panera (our "office" while we conduct interviews), that stands out because we want our management to be obsessed with this. Tables should be cleaned. Trash should not be full. And yes, this philosophy extends to clean bathrooms.
Orders come consistently
Five Guys is *not* a fast-food restaurant. Even so, it has a standard for how many minutes (7) one is supposed to wait for an order, even at busy times. What's almost as important as how quickly it comes is consistency of order turnaround time. Most people would more happily wait 8 minutes every time than 5 minutes most times, but 13 minutes other times. The same applies for almost anything, by the way - human beings like consistency.
Staff is professional and polite
Starbucks is a great business (their real estate overexpansion notwithstanding) in large part because they have figured out that customer experience depends on their "associates" who interact with customers. Five Guys is not a coffeehouse (thank goodness), but applies many of the same principles. Check out sign they post on the front of the soda dispenser next time you are in a store and you will see what I mean. How a manager plans to work with staff to reduce turnover, keep people properly trained, deal proactively with disciplinary issues, and run a smooth-flowing line - and how they have done so successfully in the past - is something that we are watching closely.
There are many other attributes, but fundamentally, you want your experience to be about the food, not why the store was out of straws. That's management. If that's solid, you'll rave about the burgers -- of that, we are confident.
We are well into our search for our first store general manager. Through ads in the Boston Globe (semi-productive) and several online resources (much more productive - not a good omen for newspaper people), we found a number of good candidates and are starting to zero in on the right person.
Who is the right person?
Marc and I have a certain business philosophy, which is that no matter what product you buy, the service is a key point. We leave perfecting the burger concoctions to the experts: Five Guys and the customer. Among many other things, the manager's job is to make sure that the environment in which you experience the burger is the best it can be. Here are a few things about what that means:
The store is clean
This is so obvious that it seems strange to write it. However, it is actually difficult to achieve. This is especially true in a store that is physically too small -- so, as partners we are nervous about stores with small footprint. But when a candidate notices the crumbs on the radiator at Panera (our "office" while we conduct interviews), that stands out because we want our management to be obsessed with this. Tables should be cleaned. Trash should not be full. And yes, this philosophy extends to clean bathrooms.
Orders come consistently
Five Guys is *not* a fast-food restaurant. Even so, it has a standard for how many minutes (7) one is supposed to wait for an order, even at busy times. What's almost as important as how quickly it comes is consistency of order turnaround time. Most people would more happily wait 8 minutes every time than 5 minutes most times, but 13 minutes other times. The same applies for almost anything, by the way - human beings like consistency.
Staff is professional and polite
Starbucks is a great business (their real estate overexpansion notwithstanding) in large part because they have figured out that customer experience depends on their "associates" who interact with customers. Five Guys is not a coffeehouse (thank goodness), but applies many of the same principles. Check out sign they post on the front of the soda dispenser next time you are in a store and you will see what I mean. How a manager plans to work with staff to reduce turnover, keep people properly trained, deal proactively with disciplinary issues, and run a smooth-flowing line - and how they have done so successfully in the past - is something that we are watching closely.
There are many other attributes, but fundamentally, you want your experience to be about the food, not why the store was out of straws. That's management. If that's solid, you'll rave about the burgers -- of that, we are confident.
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