Retail/Wholesale: JERRY MURRELL
FOUNDER AND CEO, FIVE GUYS BURGERS ENTERPRISES, LORTON
Published
Five Guys got prime exposure in June during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee festivities.
Almost every shot of famous faces like Prince William, Meghan Markle and Prime Minister Boris Johnson entering St Paul’s Cathedral included a London location of the popular Fairfax County-based hamburger chain with its sign clearly visible in the background.
“I’m now craving Five Guys fries,” one viewer complained on Twitter.
The bit of mass exposure was unusual for the fast food chain because the Murrell family, which owns the 1,700-location business, doesn’t believe in advertising, preferring to let the quality of their food do the talking.
Five Guys got its start in 1986 in Arlington when Jerry and Janie Murrell told four of their children they could go to college or start a business. They decided to open a carryout burger joint. Their younger son came aboard later, hence the restaurant chain’s name.
In 2003, Five Guys began offering franchises. In less than two years, the company sold more than 300 franchises, none of which have freezers or microwaves.
A Michigan native, Jerry Murrell worked as a financial planner before flipping burgers. He graduated from the University of Michigan with an economics degree in 1967.
