Five Guys Expanding to Winnipeg
WINNIPEG -- The restaurant that started a sizzle among Brandon burger fans will now expand to the provincial capital. Five Guys Burgers and Fries is planning to open as many as eight locations in Winnipeg, starting with three this spring.
Ben Hernandez, managing partner of the Virginia-based chain's eight-month-old Brandon outlet, said he's hoping leases will be completed shortly on Kenaston Boulevard near McGillivray Boulevard, Pembina Highway near the University of Manitoba and in Transcona.
"We'll begin construction within the next couple of months and our target date for opening is mid-to-late May," he said.
Scott Jocelyn, executive director of the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association, said it has been many years since a high-profile burger chain moved into the Winnipeg market.
"I can't remember the last time something like this happened in the burger world," he said.
Jocelyn said Five Guys will never be accused of skimping on portions.
"I had a hamburger in Brandon a little while ago and it was pretty tough to go back to work afterwards because I was so stuffed," he said.
Hernandez said the initial reception at his restaurant in Brandon's Shoppers Mall was well beyond expectations and it continues to maintain a "very stable" following.
Hernandez is a veteran of Manitoba's restaurant scene, having run Remington's Seafood and Steakhouse in Brandon for seven years.
ยป Winnipeg Free Press
Copyright The Brandon Sun Feb 5, 2011
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