Five Guys Comes to Burlington (Images)

Burger lovers have a new place in Burlington to satiate their hunger.

opened their newest location yesterday in the Middlesex Commons in Burlington. The new restaurant opened to little fan-fare, as is the Five Guys custom, but eager customers showed up in force all the same.

"Today has been great!" President and CEO at Massachusetts Burger Enterprises, the company behind the local franchise, Marc Magerman said of the opening day. "We have been doing even better than we expected."

For those unfamiliar with the restaurant, Five Guys Burger and Fries is a Virginia based company that was started in 1986. It grew slowly at first, adding only five more stores before 2001. In that time, according to the company's own history, it grew a customer base and in the last decade has expanded to over 900 locations across the country. Burlington represents Five Guys' ninth store in Massachusetts.

As for the food, the name says almost all of it. Five Guys is known for their big, fresh burgers (there is no freezer at the restaurant) and large helpings of French Fries. Along with burgers and fries, Five Guys sells hotdogs, vegetable sandwiches and grilled cheese sandwiches, according to their online menu.

The opening of the store meant employment opportunities for local residents. Customers to the new restaurant see a sea of red-shirted employees busy in the open-air kitchen while others tend the registers and clean up around the lobby.

"We hired 54 people for the opening and have spent the last week getting them trained," Magerman said. "Once we get into the swing and see exactly what we need, we may cut down to between 30 and 35 employees. However, at Five Guys we do promote from within so if we need a manager at one of our other stores we will look at the performance of all our employees and maybe move some over."

Magerman said everyone at Five Guys were happy to open in Burlington. He explained that when four years ago they were looking to franchise in Massachusetts, all the data suggested that Burlington would be an ideal location.

"Burlington was our number one spot to go for," he said. "We're thrilled to be here. The town has been very welcoming and supportive and the customers seem happy to see us. We hope to be here for many years to come."

As if on cue, while Magerman was speaking with Burlington Patch, customer Mike Lavoie came up to shake his hand.

"Are you the owner? Thank you," Lavoie, of Billerica, said, explaining that months ago he downloaded a Five Guys location app for his phone and has been waiting for one of the restaurants to come to the local area.

Have you been to Five Guys? What did you think? Let us know in the comments section below.