Five Guys opens Machesney Park location

Jim Hagerty, Rockford Register Star
·2 min read
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A burger chain with a big Rockford-area following has opened a second location.

Five Guys officially opened at 11 a.m. Monday at 10055 N. Second St., Machesney Park.

“We are excited,” said Five Guys Area Manager Jeremy Young. “There’s been a lot of public interest, people wanting to know when we were going to open, even before we started our build-out. People reached out and asked what they could do for us, so it’s great to see the town come together.”

While some of the chain’s 2,200 locations are franchises, the Machesney Park Five Guys is corporate-owned.

“It’s very business friendly climate here in the Parks,” Parks Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Duncan Geddes said before the ceremony.

Part of the Route 173 shopping corridor, Five Guys is just west of Old Navy in a new three-space commercial building owned by First Midwest Group. Tropical Smoothie Café occupies the second space while plans to fill the third are in the works.

“We looked for another Rockford location for a very long time,” Young said. “And we finally found one that worked. And to be honest, we don’t typically see this type of attention when we open, except in our rural markets, so we are really excited to be in the Loves Park-Machesney Park area.”

Five Guys was founded in 1986 in Arlington, Virginia, by Jerry and Janie Murrell, who opened what the company calls its first "carryout burger joint." Jerry and the couple’s four sons were the original “Five Guys.” Their fifth son was born two years later. Today, the company is still family owned; the Murrells and their five sons are all involved in the company.

All Five Guys locations are known for their fresh burgers that are never frozen as well as a variety of sandwiches, hot dogs, milkshakes and fries. The company has restaurants in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

The chain’s other Rockford location is at 6820 E. State St., near Perryville Road.

Jim Hagerty covers business and other general news topics for the Rockford Register Star. Email him at jhagerty@gannett.com.

General Manager DaShawn Johnson, center, cuts a red ribbon Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, celebrating the opening of Five Guys in Machensey Park, the restaurant chain's second Rockford-area location.
General Manager DaShawn Johnson, center, cuts a red ribbon Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, celebrating the opening of Five Guys in Machensey Park, the restaurant chain's second Rockford-area location.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Five Guys opens in Machesney Park