US burger chain Five Guys to open stores across Australia and New Zealand

Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group has officially confirmed an exclusive master franchise agreement with Five Guys. This will involve the iconic US burger chain opening stores across Australia and New Zealand, starting with multiple venues in Sydney CBD.

“Our commitment is to open approx. 20 stores nationwide in the right locations and with the right staff,” said David Ovens, ‘Chief Marketing officer’ and ‘Franchise Representative’ for Seagrass BHG. “We are currently looking for the best sites in Sydney’s CBD and welcome inquiries from agents. Our aim is to identify high visibility ground floor sites in high traffic areas. We believe Australia will embrace Five Guys given the quality, value, and authenticity of the brand.”

Five Guys has long been known as one of the most anticipated and popular of USA’s numerous burger chains, often being ranked above brands like In-N-Out and Shake Shake. In 2017, it was voted America’s best burger chain.

Five Guys already has a footprint outside of the US, in various European, Asian and Middle Eastern countries, so it’s only right that Oceania finally nets a slice of this popular franchise. This brings the fresh-forward focus on simple burgers and milkshakes over to this part of the world, and might even encourage a few other US burger chains to make the hop down under in the future.

“We feel confident in the Seagrass partnership because of the strong operational capabilities and our joint focus on high-quality food and customer service,” offered Sam Chamberlain, Five Guys Chief Operating Officer. “We know we can teach just about anyone how to do burgers and fries the Five Guys way, but it is harder to teach our core values. Thankfully, Seagrass, with their dedication to people and excellence, will have no problem executing the Five Guys brand.”

The first round of Five Guys venues is expected to open by mid-2021. Sydney will be first, reportedly followed by Brisbane and Melbourne.

Chris Singh

Chris Singh is an Editor-At-Large at the AU review, loves writing about travel and hospitality, and is partial to a perfectly textured octopus. You can reach him on Instagram: @chrisdsingh.