Five Guys: History, Key Facts and Reviews

1986-2001: a family carry-out in Arlington

Five Guys began in 1986 in Arlington, Virginia, when Jerry and Janie Murrell gave their sons a choice: start a business or go to college (Five Guys). The boys chose the business, a small carry-out burger counter in the Westmont Shopping Center. Two more brothers joined later, and the name stands for the five Murrell sons: Jim, Matt, Chad, Ben and Tyler. The family kept the menu short and added restaurants slowly; by 2001 there were five, all in the Washington, D.C., area (Wikipedia).

2002-2012: franchising and a national following

Five Guys grew from a local favorite into a national chain through franchising. The family began selling franchises in Washington, Virginia and Maryland in 2002 and opened the rest of the country to them in 2003. Within 18 months, permits had been sold for more than 300 franchised restaurants. Visibility followed: Barack Obama stopped at a Five Guys in 2009, and in 2011 the Zagat survey ranked the chain first among large fast-food chains and first for best burger. The first Canadian restaurant opened in Alberta in 2010.

2013-2023: London, Europe and Asia

Five Guys became an international brand in a decade. Its first restaurant outside North America opened on July 4, 2013, on Long Acre in London’s Covent Garden; our guide to Five Guys London Covent Garden covers that address today. The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Ireland followed in 2015, then Paris, Madrid and Kuwait City in 2016. In 2017 eight countries joined, including Germany and Italy, and the chain reached Asia with Hong Kong. It passed 1,500 restaurants worldwide in 2018, opened in Australia in 2021 and in South Korea in 2023, the year it moved its head office to Alexandria, Virginia.

2026: 40 years and nearly 2,000 restaurants

Five Guys is still owned by the Murrell family and turns 40 in 2026 with close to 2,000 restaurants. Wikipedia’s country-by-country count adds up to 1,999 restaurants in 28 countries and territories in May 2026, with 1,517 in the United States and 72 in Canada. The United Kingdom is the largest market abroad, with 182 restaurants listed on the official locator in October 2026, ahead of Spain, France and Germany. In 2024 the chain made $2.3 billion in US system sales and $1.1 billion abroad, and in November 2025 it was named Global Restaurant Leader of the Year (Nation’s Restaurant News). To recreate its best-known order at home, try our Five Guys cheeseburger copycat.

Key dates

• 1986: Jerry and Janie Murrell open the first Five Guys in Arlington, Virginia.
• 2002: franchising begins in Washington, Virginia and Maryland.
• 2010: first Canadian restaurant, in Alberta.
• 2013: first restaurant outside North America, in London, on July 4.
• 2016: openings in Paris, Madrid and Kuwait City.
• 2018: more than 1,500 restaurants worldwide.
• 2026: the chain turns 40 with nearly 2,000 restaurants.