The popularity of American burger chain Five Guys seems to have died down with a new photo showing one of its once-busy restaurants completely empty.
Five Guys drew massive crowds and lines around the block when it opened its first Australian store in Penrith, west Sydney, a little over four years ago.
Now, customers claim the ‘hype has died off’ with several of its stores often sitting empty.
A photo from Tuesday afternoon showed Five Guys Martin Place, in Sydney CBD, largely empty – despite having the potential to be one of the company’s busiest Aussie locations.
Dozens of commenters under the photo weren’t surprised by the lack of customers due to Five Guys being ‘too expensive’.
‘Every one of these boutique burger shops is twice the price of a fish and chip shop, for a much worse burger,’ one wrote.
‘Isn’t the whole point of fast food is that it’s just simple cheap food?’ another said.
‘Overpriced and overrated,’ another wrote.
The popularity of Five Guys seems to be dying off in Australia (pictured, Five Guys Martin Place last Tuesday afternoon)
Many Aussies said they avoid Five Guys because it’s ‘too expensive’
Others argued the higher price point was worthwhile for a quality burger.
‘No question a premium product but pretty good in my opinion,’ one wrote.
‘These are the best burgers in Sydney,’ another said.
A standard hamburger from Five Guys is $17.90 while a cheeseburger will set customers back $19.90, which jumps to $22.90 if adding bacon.
Sides are also costly with a chips starting at $6.90 and milkshakes priced at $10.90.
However, hospitality consultant Michael Vale told Newscorp the chain’s apparent struggles could be traced back to poor location choices.
Since 2021, Five Guys has opened three stores in Sydney and two in Melbourne.
For comparison, the company has 1,400 stores in America and over 200 internationally.
Five Guys were popular when they first launched in Penrith, west Sydney (pictured)
Hospitality consultant Michael Vale claimed Five Guys could be struggling due to poor location choices
The first Australian store, in Penrith, was a stand-alone restaurant and difficult to access from the CBD, meaning most Sydneysiders wouldn’t go out of their way to try the burger joint.
While Mr Vale believed the Five Guys locations in Melbourne were better planned, with both in busy areas, even the more central locations in Sydney had their failures.
Particularly its Martin Place store, which is located inside a busy Metro station.
‘In Martin Place, they’ve got the Metro station. Unless you’re catching a train, you’re not going to go in there and one of those. I don’t think so,’ Mr Vale said.
On top of starting in a dud location, Mr Vale believes Five Guys has failed to offer something unique, adding ‘if you do something special, the price is irrelevant’.
‘To me Five Guys is just another hamburger joint,’ he said.
‘What I feel is missing is it doesn’t have a distinct point of differentiation in the Australian market.’
Daily Mail has contacted Five Guys’ operator, Blue Coral Concepts, for comment.
