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Five Guys Franchise Opens In Westchase

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By STEPHEN HAMMILL

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 28, 2008

WESTCHASE - Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries opened its newest restaurant last weekend - joining five other locations in the Tampa area.

On June 20, owner Bob Dorfman greeted hundreds to a soft opening for friends, vendors and media as 30 employees crowded behind the cash registers of the 2,200 square-foot restaurant. One of them was 15-year-old Alonso High School student Alex Singleton.

"He's so happy to be here," said his mother, Jackie. "We live right across the street and picked up an application. He started his training a week ago."

Dorfman, franchise owner for each of the Tampa restaurants, said planning for the location at 11622 Countryway Blvd. began in the fall.

He said the Westchase location offered some unique challenges for the chain.

"I think it's somewhat more of a fickle area in terms of affluence," he said. "I think people here are looking for super-quality food. Our customer service has to be superior in an area like this."

He describes the Five Guys customer base as "high school kids, seniors, construction workers, the super rich - a cross-section of the entire area."

The Virginia-based business started as a family operation in 1986 with a concept that has remained relatively unchanged over the years.

"We have no freezers in our restaurants," Dorfman said. "Everything is fresh and made to order, and we're fanatics about our cleanliness."

When he couldn't get a franchise close to his home in Maryland, Dorfman decided on Florida.

"Tampa's been a great market for this business. The demographics are changing more than any other part of the state," he said. "It used to be the newlyweds and the nearly dead - not anymore."

The excitement that greets each subsequent opening continues to amaze Dorfman.

The first Tampa Five Guys franchise opened off Fowler Avenue in November 2006. A West Kennedy Boulevard location followed in February 2007. Franchises also opened in 2007 at the Palms of Carrollwood shopping center, Westfield Brandon and the St. Pete Times Forum.

"People are so psyched about the concept," he said. "There's far more hype here for these openings than in any other state."
Dorfman credits the success to the fresh ingredients, simplicity in menu and friendly staff.

Another factor: Being neither a fast-food chain nor a wait-service restaurant, Five Guys lacks a true competitor in Tampa.

"You have In-N-Out Burger on the West Coast, which is comparable to us, but nothing like that here," Dorfman said.

And there are more to come.
Dorfman runs TCH Restaurant Group Inc. with partner Bob Gries, ex-owner of the Tampa Bay Storm.

"We plan to open 10 more stores in Tampa in the next 18 months, including one near MacDill Air Force Base and another downtown," Dorfman said.

Within several years, they hope to be operating a total of 86 franchises in Tampa, Houston and Columbus, Ohio.

All Five Guys locations are open from 11 a.m. through 10 p.m. seven days a week.

Reporter Stephen Hammill can be reached at (813) 865-1523 or at shammill@tampatrib.com.

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