Why the Five Guys restaurant set to open in Myrtle Beach area is a first for the brand
Five Guys Burgers and Fries has more than 1,500 locations in the world.
However, the one set to open in the Surfside Beach area will be unlike any other.
Set to open Thursday, the Five Guys restaurant located at the intersection of Queens Harbour Boulevard and U.S. 17 Bypass will be the chain’s first to offer a drive-thru window for pickup.
The drive-thru won’t be like the ones fast-food places employ, however. It will serve as a pickup window for any online orders via the restaurant’s app or website. Customers must pay ahead if they wish to order in this manner.
Franchisee Jeff Steiner, who owns each of the four Five Guys locations on the Grand Strand and others in North Carolina, said he wanted to keep the drive-thru the building had in place from when it was a Hardee’s to make ordering safer during the coronavirus. He said corporate liked the idea and the restaurant will be viewed as a guinea pig that could lead to more Five Guys offering such a service.
“It’ll be as close to touchless as you can get,” Steiner said. “It’s really just taking what today’s world has become and adapting to that.”
The Surfside Beach Five Guys essentially replaces the Murrells Inlet restaurant, which closed Sunday.
“Five guys likes to keep things fresh and that location had kind of run its course,” Steiner said, adding that it was part of the first batch of Five Guys to open having operated for 15 years. “We had loyal customers down there and we hope they make the 5-mile trek north to join us once again.”
Five Guys is known for its made-to-order burgers and fresh-cut fries. It also offers several types of hot dogs, including kosher, and sandwiches, including veggie ones. The restaurant also offers a variety of milkshakes.
As of Thursday, the Grand Strand will once again have four Five Guys restaurants — Myrtle Beach (1772 Pine Island Road) and (10835 Kings Road) and North Myrtle Beach (1200 Hwy 17 North) are the others.
The Murrell family opened its first Five Guys in Arlington, Virginia in 1986 and now has more than 1,500 locations in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
