Cult US burger chain Five Guys expands Aussie operation

The news that cult US burger chain Five Guys is expanding their Sydney operation to include a second store is the best kind of news we can hope for right now.

Not only does it mean that the hit burger joint will branch out from its Penrith location, which is great for burger lovers, but it also signals that there's hope for the CBD to continue on it's post-pandemic road to recovery, as the chain names the inner city location of it's new venue.

READ MORE: All the best Easter products that are coming

The CBD was hit hard by pandemic closures in the hospitality industry and when the rules began to relax, it was still the CBD hospitality landscape that struggled to recover as we continued to work form home and stay away from inner city offices.

But when a popular burger joint like Five Guys announces plans to add a Sydney CBD location to their portfolio, we can only hope that it's the start of many more good things.

"We are thrilled to finally see the Sydney CBD coming back to life post-COVID," Robby Andronikos, Brand Manager for Five Guys, tells 9Honey. "This is the perfect timing for opening our first central Sydney restaurant, with businesses slowly returning to a new norm with people venturing back to the city more frequently."

Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group is the Australian & New Zealand Master Franchisee for Five Guys, and they've announce that the location for their second Sydney Five Guys site is 383 George St, Sydney, in the heritage listed Spiden House building, with the opening planned for May 2022. 

Considering we're already in March, that's really not that far away. So there's hope for us all and something to look forward to.

"Many customers have told us how much they want us to open the doors in the city making their journey to trial Five Guys that much easier. We can't wait to deliver on this wish in the coming months," he said.

READ MORE: Giant Aldi Hot Cross Bun sparks huge debate

When Five Guys announced plans to come to Australia in 2020, it was big news, especially at a time where international travel was off limits and we still wanted a taste of what people overseas were raving about.

Five Guys regularly competes with that other US burger chain, In-N-Out, as some of the most popular US burgers out there.

They have a reputation for making everything fresh, which includes not just making their patties but also hand shredding their lettuce and hand cutting their fries. Their menu has no less than fifteen toppings and extras, so you can really personalise your burger, and there's something both fresh and retro about the signature red and white fit out.

People will travel a long way for a Five Guys burger and the choice of Penrith as their first Aussie venue reflected the pandemic move away from CBD locations at the time — but with the new CBD announcement, maybe we won't have to go quite so far.

Given that the Seagrass group has a number of CBD restaurants in their impressive portfolio (6Head, The Meant & Wine Co., Ribs & Burgers) it makes perfect sense that they would be hoping to see inner city hospitality thrive again, but also certain that they wouldn't commit if they didn't see the potential for this to be a reality.

Which in our books is a very good sign, along with the fact that the group promises there are more announcements to come in 2022, including Melbourne locations.