In a bid to appease disgruntled Five Guys staff amid an overwhelming promotional period, CEO Jerry Murrell handed out $1.5 million in checks to apologise for the business's ‘screw up’.
Can you believe it’s been 40 years since a small, carry-out burger joint in Arlington, Virginia, named Five Guys, opened its doors?
Now, the family-run business operates more than 1,900 stores worldwide, with locations in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia, among others.
Known for its totally customisable, juicy burgers, mountainous portions of peanut oil-fried fries and thick, creamy milkshakes, Five Guys is an American institution celebrating four decades of success in 2026.
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But honouring their Ruby Jubilee hasn’t exactly been plain sailing.
On 18 February, the company was forced to apologise after launching a buy-one-get-one (BOGO) offer the day before.
“The promotion spread far beyond what we anticipated, and our hardworking crews were placed in a difficult situation,” it said in a press release.
“Some locations ran out of product and had to close early. Online and app ordering experienced sporadic issues that prevented some of you from redeeming the offer.”
Five Guys said customers who were unable to place an order at their local restaurant ‘deserved better’.
It was also alleged that, despite mishaps, they wanted fans to ‘recognise the incredible men and women working’ who prop up their burger joints.
“While yesterday’s issues were through no fault of their own, they handled it with the same grit and dedication that has defined Five Guys for four decades.
“We are working together with our franchisees to ensure our crew members are properly recognised for their efforts during the promotion,” the statement added.
Following the unprecedented burger demand, 82-year-old CEO Murrell - who named his corporation for him and his sons - sent $1,000 to the 1,500 stores impacted by the botched BOGO deal, Fortune reported.
He claimed in the interview that the $1.5 million had been taken out of savings he’d accumulated to buy his wife, Janie, a fur coat.
“She still looks at me like I’m stupid,” he said. “But I thought it was worth it. They worked so hard. They were so overwhelmed.”
Murrell claimed his generosity stemmed from not wanting anybody to ‘shoot [him] in the back… because [the business] really screwed it up’.
“We had no idea that we were going to get that kind of response,” he added.
Despite Five Guys’ global profile, with a YouGov poll hailing it as the 45th most popular fast-food brand in the world, Murrell said he was genuinely shocked by the BOGO turnout.
“I always think it’s funny when people go to sales. I never thought they worked,” he explained to the publication.
“We tried this one, buy one, get one free. Holy smokes. I couldn’t believe all the people that jumped on that.
"I thought maybe increased sales like 20 percent or something—that was like 130 percent. So I felt I screwed up.”
Five Guys later ran a second BOGO attempt between 9 and 12 March, which was called the ‘40th after party’.
According to Fortune, the follow-up act was more successful, with crews being more prepared.
“They worked so hard that I thought, now I better give them a bonus,” Muller added.
FOODbible has contacted Five Guys for comment.
Ella Scott