Five Guys Trademarks

Five Guys is an American fast-food restaurant chain that sells handmade hamburgers made using locally sourced fresh beef cooked on a grill. The business, formally known as Five Guys Enterprises LLC, operates as Five Guys and Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

The restaurant chain sells hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries, and other foods, snacks, and drinks for consumption on and off the premises. Five Guys can be found across the United States and in Canada, with its headquarters at Lorton, Virginia, part of Fairfax County.

Let’s dive into the company’s history, menu, and trademarks.

Five Guys History

Five Guys opened its first restaurant in 1986 in Arlington County, Virginia. Janie and Jerry Murrell founded the company in 1986 and chose the name “Five Guys” as a reference to Jerry and the couple’s four sons, Jim, Matt, Chad, and Ben.

Two years later, Janie would give birth to the couple’s fifth son, Tyler. After growing up in the business, the five sons have assumed leadership roles within the restaurant chain. Specifically, Ben selects the franchisees, Matt and Jim travel across the country visiting and monitoring stores, Tyler manages the bakery, and Chad oversees training.

The first Five Guys location was opened in the Westmont Shopping Center in Arlington County, Virginia. The restaurant’s buns were baked by Brenner’s Bakery, which was located in the same shopping center. This location was eventually closed and replaced with a new location in Alexandria, Virginia.

The new Alexandria location, situated at King and North Beauregard Streets intersection, would later close in September 2013.

By 2001, Five Guys had five locations, in the Virginia area. Their consistent success gave the Murrells the confidence to franchise the restaurant concept. They engaged Fransmart, a franchise sales organization, for a franchising plan to expand Five Guys across the U.S.

Mark Moseley, a former American football player working with Fransmart, became an instrumental figure in spearheading Five Guy’s expansion. After Five Guys ended its business relationship with Fransmart, Moseley joined the restaurant’s team as the director of franchise development.

Once the chain started franchising in 2003, its rapid growth caught the national press’s and restaurant trade organizations’ attention. The expansion began in Maryland and Virginia and quickly took off.

By the end of 2004, there were over 300 stores under development in the Northeast. By 2012, Five Guys had stretched its reach across the United States into Canada, with over 1,000 locations.

The United Kingdom became the first Five Guys location outside North America. The store opened in July 2013 on Long Acre in Convent Garden, London. Rapid U.K. expansion followed, with the restaurant chain opening more than 150 restaurants.

Five Guys also expanded into the Middle East, with more expansions happening in Europe as well. The first Five Guys restaurants in Germany started business in late 2017. One is in Frankfurt, the other in Essen.

Five Guys Enterprises has several affiliated companies under common ownership but they are not part of a consolidated group. These include Five Guys Operations (founded in 2012), Five Guys Holdings (founded in 2007), Five Guys Foods U.K. Limited (incorporated on March 12, 2013), FGO International B.V., FGE International, and FG Cooperatief U.A (based in Amsterdam).

There’s also FGH International C.V. located in Bermuda.

The company’s headquarters in Lorton, Virginia, covers 39,900 square feet of space overlooking the Potomac and Occoquan rivers. The building is specially designed to convey the corporate brand. The lobby mimics the typical layout of a Five Guys restaurant, featuring red and white tiles, tall tables, signature peanut boxes, and a Freestyle Coke machine.

Five Guys Menu

The Five Guys menu focuses heavily on burgers offered with applewood-smoked bacon or Kraft American cheese. The menu also offers kosher-style hot dogs, BLT, grilled cheese, and vegetable sandwiches.

The buns used by the restaurant are “eggier” and sweeter than regular buns. You can order the hamburger in two sizes,” regular” which is made with two patties, or “little” featuring just one patty.

The top menu items are served with French fries as the sole side item. The French fries are typically served seasoned in “Cajun style” or salted in “Five Guys style.” Customers can also select 15 different toppings at no extra cost to customize their meals.

Most locations also offer complimentary roasted in-shell peanuts for on-site consumption. There’s visible signage around these locations warning customers who may have a peanut allergy. Five Guys doesn’t allow customers to take the peanuts offsite because of these allergen reasons.

You can also find milkshakes on the menu, served in the traditional vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate flavors. Customers can order the milkshakes with up to ten free toppings, ranging from Oreo cookies to bacon.

Five Guys Trademarks

Five Guys has obtained federal trademark registration for one trademark as per late 2022 records. The company received federal trademark registration for “FIVE GUYS” on October 13, 2015, and it uses the trademark for its milkshakes.