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Surprise, surprise, it’s Five Guys Burgers and Fries

RIO GRANDE – All the buzz was about Wal-Mart finally opening its doors here this summer after months and months of politically charged delays. To those of us more interested in the gastronomical arts, it was more about the opening of Five Guys Burgers and Fries.
This soon-to-be-national chain got its start in Virginia and became a favorite of the beltway burger elite, drawing rave reviews and readership awards from the Washington Post, Washingtonian, Zagat and magazines in Annapolis, Richmond and Charlottesville. It also picked up Best Fries from Philadelphia Magazine and, to be announced this week, a readership award from the Press of Atlantic City, mostly for the Somers Point location because the Rio Grande franchise got a late start.
Five Guys is 99 percent about the burgers and fries. Only a hot dog, veggie sandwich or grilled cheese distracts the diner from the main attraction: hand-formed fresh beef patties stacked two high on a specially made bun baked daily at the family-owned bakery in Virginia, and hand-cut fries cooked twice in peanut oil for a crunchy exterior and a pillowy potato bite on the inside.
Add to that the red-and-white tiled interior, buckets of roasted peanuts on every table, bags of fresh potatoes lining the storefront, classic rock being pumped through the speaker system and a service staff that apparently can’t wait to get to work, and you’ve got a fun burger/fry experience unique to Cape May County.
“When we match that vibe with great food and great service, we know we’re hitting people’s buttons, and that’s when we’re doing things right,” said Bob Silzle (pronounced like Nastle), who is the chief operating officer in the restaurant management company that owns nine of the Five Guys franchises in Pennsylvania and South Jersey.
The Five Guys story is pure Americana. Jerry Murrell was an insurance executive who made gobs of money before growing weary of the suit-and-tie routine, according to Silzle.
In 1984, Murrell opened his first burger joint in Arlington, Va. He opened successive restaurants as each of his four sons graduated high school and wanted their own share of the family business.
“They were given the opportunity to go to college but each said they wanted their own restaurant,” Silzle said. “And this was as competitive a family that you can imagine, one wanting to better the other. Inside and outside the (Washington, D.C.) beltway they garnered a cult following.”
There once was a more diverse menu, but the family continually shrunk it to stick to their strengths. After 20 years in business, they decided to franchise. In the past three years, Silzle and his partnership group have been opening franchises in the Mid-Atlantic region.
“The reasons that make Five Guys successful begin with the burger meat. It’s extremely high quality beef that’s never frozen. It comes to us fresh and is hand-formed by the staff every morning,” with no additives or seasoning, Silzle said.
“The cooking method is the same for every burger. They’re well done but juicy inside. We do not do medium rare or rare or burger cooked to order. We tell our customers that we cook them the same way so that the juices flow freely inside, and if they don’t like the way they’re cooked, we give them their money back. In my years here, I have not had anyone ask for a nickel back.
“Then the bun is made in a family bakery in Virginia. It’s a recipe the family developed -- it’s not a cookie-cutter type of bun – and it’s toasted on a separate grill alongside where the burgers are being cooked,” Silzle said.
Pick from the 15 toppings at no extra charge to personalize your burger.
“After a half-dozen visits or so, many of our customers come up with their own signature burger. We pile that on two 3.3-ounce patties (the Little Burger only has one patty), which gives the customers a little surprise. When newcomers open their burger for the first time they go, ‘Whoa!’ That’s our ‘Whoa!’ factor we like to hear.”
Next are the fresh-cut fries, which come from different farms in Idaho, Washington and, sometimes, Maine, depending on the season and success of the crop.
“Our supplier changes every two to six weeks,” Silzle said. “We cut a thicker fry than most fast-food restaurants, and we soak them first, pre-cook them and then let them rest. Then we finish them to order.”
Malt vinegar is made available but ketchup is also offered.
Silzle said the idea was to fill the niche between the fast-food production line experience and the traditional restaurant experience.
“We want the orders filled between seven and nine minutes. Our food is cooked to order by cooks. There is no automatic anything, there’s no technology at work (in the kitchen). We’re more expensive than fast food and less expensive than restaurants.”
The Rio Grande restaurant is managed by Tracy Felsing, who managed a McDonald’s in Virginia and then the North Cape May Blockbuster for eight years.
“We’re thrilled to have Tracy on our management team. She’s a ball of fire who blew us away in the interview process and continues to do so in the store,” Silzle said. “She’s part of the atmosphere, that vibe, that (our customers) pick up on.”
 

 

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Rob Seitzinger can be e-mailed at seitz[at]catamaranmedia.com or you can comment on this story by calling 624-8900, ext. 250.
Check out his Cape Cuisine food blog

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