April was a month of growth for Five Guys Burgers

The family owned Five Guys has provided award winning burgers and fries to the Northern Virginia area for over 18 years. Five Guys is a neighborhood, barebones burger joint that serves burgers, hotdogs and fries with every topping imaginable. They have been voted "Best Burgers" for the past five years in Washingtonian Magazine, voted number one "Bang for the Buck" in Zagat Survey and The Washington Post calls them "the Willy Wonkas of burgercraft."

"We originally bought the rights to build three restaurants, but after opening our first (in Blacksburg, VA) and seeing the pace at which territory is being purchased, we didn't want to miss the opportunity to reserve the rights to more," Ken Helton a franchisee whose group purchased 10 additional units this past month.

Jerry and Jane Murrell opened Five Guys Burgers and Fries in 1986 and expanded it through the help of their five sons (the namesake of the restaurant) into a five unit concept. There are now 12 restaurants and over 100 units in development. The restaurants are 1500- 2000 square feet and seat 40 to 50 guests.