March 3, 2011 - 4:29pm
Five Guys delays grand opening to January
BY ANNA ROZENBERG
Burger lovers will have to wait a few more weeks for Five Guys Burgers and Fries to open on South State Street.
The new burger joint was slated to open Nov. 15 but will not be up and running until Jan. 17 due to construction delays, according to co-owner Brian Adelman.
Without the delays, the restaurant could have opened mid-December, Adelman said.
He added that it makes sense to open in January because the 40 employees they want to hire will most likely be students who go home for Thanksgiving and winter breaks.
Adelman said he originally wanted to open Five Guys before classes began this year, but there were “unforeseen circumstances," including the acquiring of specific permits, which caused him to settle on the more realistic opening date of Nov. 15.
As for the current construction progress, Adelman said, “the store itself looks great.”
The owner is not concerned that the delayed grand opening will affect the business’s reputation. He said he’s heard that students and Ann Arbor residents are excited for Five Guys to open in the area.
Adelman hopes the restaurant will be popular among students and said it plans to stay open until around 2 a.m. on weekends to cater to students who stay out late.
When questioned about disappointed students who expect Five Guys to open in November, Adelman said he thinks their attitudes will change once the restaurant starts serving burgers.
“I think they’ll get over it as soon as we open it,” he said.
LSA freshman Stephanie Betcher said many of her friends have been talking about the new Five Guys location. She said she may end up going with her friends once it opens, but the new opening date doesn’t bother her.
“I guess it’s a bad first impression, but you can’t really judge on that,” Betcher said.
LSA freshman Ross Ura was understanding of the new opening date.
“I think that a lot of times deadlines change,” Ura said. “I know especially for me I get bogged down...the business world is infinitely more complicated.”
