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Ramon Kabbedijk has been VP for International Real Estate and Construction at fast casual restaurant chain Five Guys Enterprises since the start of this year. From its new European headquarters, Five Guys is taking the European market by storm. Seven people currently work in the landmark waterfront building on Amsterdam’s river IJ, but if Kabbedijk has his way, that figure will increase to at least 35 within two years.

Kabbedijk has direct oversight of the long-term

real estate portfolio and implementation plans

across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. This

includes market prioritisation, site selection and

construction & design. It is hardly surprising, then,

that he spends more time on the road than at

home. He talks enthusiastically about Five Guys’

plans for expansion, which tend to be developed at

breakneck speed. The burger chain may offer only

a modest range, but it has a huge band of followers.

Back home in America, the burgers have acquired

something of a cult status.

Ramon Kabbedijk already has an impressive track

record, having worked at premium retail brands

that include Nike, Urban Outfitters and, until the

start of this year, Starbucks.

MM || What attracted you to Five Guys?

Kabbedijk “At Starbucks, I had one of the best jobs

going. But I was attracted by the challenge at Five

Guys because I believe that it has the potential

to become one of the next truly aspirational

brands. When you consider the fanatical following

we have in the US, and the results we have seen

in the Middle East and the UK, it is genuinely

Interview with Ramon Kabbedijk, VP at Five Guys Enterprises

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Five Guys Covent Garden, UK

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amazing. Much of our consumer base is made up

of millennials, who are big drivers of social media

traffic. We do not advertise at all.

The quality of our product and our customer

service are all the advertising we need. There is

already huge demand, even though the brand has

barely landed here. For instance, research shows

that we already have 50% name recognition in the

Netherlands.”

MM || What is the secret of Five Guys’ success?

Kabbedijk “The real secret is in its roots. Five Guys

is a family business that has been around for 30

years and is still run by the same Murrell family

(Jerry and Janie Murrell and their five sons). In

other words, the company has already had 30 years

to think about how burgers can be made even

better. It’s a simple story: sell a great burger, the

best hot dog and the freshest fries, and people will

pay for them. We recently introduced a new menu

item - milkshakes.

At Five Guys, nothing is frozen. Everything is fresh,

including the bread, meat and vegetables. The

potatoes are cut fresh daily and cooked in 100%

peanut oil. What you see is what you get at Five

Guys - we even have an open kitchen concept so

customers can watch their food being cooked as

they wait.

The other secret is our outstanding service – our

aim is to simply be the best. Secret shoppers visit

every restaurant about twice a week and give a

rating, which is linked to staff bonuses. In areas with

multiple branches, we even have a certain amount

of healthy competition to be as successful as

possible, which benefits our customers. It may come

as a surprise that Five Guys spends the majority

of its marketing budget on the secret shopper

programme. We will be giving back nearly $25

million to store-level employees in 2016 alone.”

MM || Does Five Guys work with franchisees or

does it own all the restaurants?

Kabbedijk “A large proportion of the American

restaurants are company-owned. We introduced

franchising in 2003 and it proved a resounding

success. Three years ago, we opened a pilot in

the UK in Covent Garden, London. It went so well,

that we decided to expand further into Europe. We

already have our first franchisee in Ireland. In the

UK, Germany, France and Spain, we are working as

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‘The Five Guys’ Cheeseburger makes the beef the star of the flavour profile, plus the lettuce is

crisp, there’s good acidity from the pickles, and the sesame bun is soft, yet holds up thanks to some

time on the grill. It really is delicious.’

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part of a 50/50 joint venture with investor Charles

Dunstone. We are developing the other countries

as franchise markets, with the exception of the

Netherlands, where we intend to set up a company-

owned location we will use to train franchisees and

staff. We have also opened a total of seven outlets

in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.”

MM || What conditions does a typical Five Guys

location need to meet?

Kabbedijk “Especially for the inaugural locations in

a country, we aim to be front and centre in the high

streets of major cities. We are currently working

on locations on the Champs-Élysées in Paris and

the Gran Vía in Madrid. We are also interested

in premium shopping centres with high traffic

numbers. For example, we have a prime location

in the Dubai Mall. We tend to avoid food courts

because you blend in with the crowd, losing your

identity.”

MM || Do you already have plans in the pipeline

with Multi?

Kabbedijk “There are definitely some locations

that we find interesting. Blanchardstown Centre in

Dublin and Forum Gdansk in Warsaw, for example.

Forum Rotterdam with its large flagship Primark

also offers a high-visibility location.”

MM || What is Five Guys’ response to the trend

for healthy eating?

Kabbedijk “At Five Guys everything is 100% fresh.

Our supply chain aims to achieve regional sourcing

for meat, vegetables and potatoes. Everything

needs to meet high-quality standards and strict

specifications. We have found that people who

watch what they eat visit Five Guys, as they like the

fact that we do not use any artificial preservatives,

offer fresh produce and serve a simple, clean

product.”

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Since 1986, the family-owned and operated Five Guys has been focused on serving fresh, high quality burgers in a no frills atmosphere. As of 2016, Five Guys has 1,400 locations spanning nine countries.

The burger joint’s simple menu focuses on customisable burgers and fresh hand-cut fries. A fanatical dedication to quality ingredients means no freezers, no microwaves, no can-openers, no gimmicks and no limits on the fresh toppings and creative combinations, so customers can always get the Five Guys burger they crave. Five Guys continues to win awards for ‘Best Burger’ in various markets and the ZAGAT Survey concluded “there are no better burgers.”

fiveguys.com

The real secret is in its roots