Now open: Five Guys Burgers and Fries on Ann Arbor's South State Street
The Five Guys Burgers and Fries hamburger chain took over the space once occupied by Shaman Drum Bookshop at 311 S. State St.
Lizzy Alfs | for AnnArbor.com
Co-owner Brian Adelman said when the restaurant opened at 10:30 a.m., people were waiting at the doors. By mid-afternoon, the customer line was wrapped around the restaurant, and all of the tables were full.
Adelman, who co-owns nine Five Guys Burgers and Fries restaurants in Michigan, said the fresh, made-to-order product draws in customers.
“Wherever we open, as long as there are people, we will be successful because the product sells itself,” Adelman said. “We don’t even have a freezer. The potatoes were in bags this morning and we chop them up. We tear the lettuce and cut up the tomatoes and onions.”
The burger joint hit State Street after signing a lease in June to take over the space once occupied by Shaman Drum Bookshop. The restaurant didn't open until Jan. 17 due to construction delays, according to an AnnArbor.com article.
The long-awaited opening comes as the South State Street area undergoes multiple changes since North Quad opened in fall 2010, elevating the location for retailers and the rental rates to among the highest in the city. Other recent changes: the closing of Cosi, the announced closing of Great Wraps and the planned opening of La Marsa restaurant.
Now the new Ann Arbor Five Guys joins the chain's 700-plus locations across the country, representing a growth in popularity since the opening of the first location in the Washington D.C. metro-area.
The restaurant keeps things simple by offering a menu of hamburgers, hot dogs, fries and Coca-Cola products. The restaurant also offers grilled cheese and a vegetarian sandwich.
Adelman said that while the Ann Arbor location was probably the most expensive location to open, he and his partners Michael Abrams and David Pittaway always wanted to bring the chain to Ann Arbor.
“There’s a great population,” Adelman said. “There are lots of people. I think we’ll get a good mix of students and non-students.”
University of Michigan student Catherine MacDonald said she wanted to come to the grand opening of the restaurant because her friend from Washington D.C. recommended the chain a few years ago.
Five Guys co-owner Brian Adelman said all of the hamburger chain locations look the same and have a red and white theme throughout.
Lizzy Alfs | for AnnArbor.com
“When I went to visit my friend in D.C. he said the one place he had to take me was Five Guys because it’s a big thing out there,” MacDonald said. “He was so excited when he figured out there was going to be one in Ann Arbor.”
Customer Jeremy Weinstock said the food was delicious and the prices were reasonable, but he thinks the location could be more convenient for people driving to the restaurant.
“This location isn’t bad, but I wish it was not downtown and somewhere where it’s easier to park,” Weinstock said.
After enjoying a burger and fries, U-M student Jeff Peil agreed about the quality of food and competitive prices. He said his first experience at the restaurant was “pretty perfect.”
“You can tell the fries definitely aren’t factory made,” Peil said. “It’s also nice that all the toppings are free, plus the fries are ridiculously cheap. I will definitely come here again.”
Lizzy Alfs is a freelance reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach the business desk at business@annarbor.com or 734-623-2586.
Comments
bill
Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 10:36 p.m.
Top Ten reasons why Great Plains Burger is much better than Five Guys. 1. GP burger has so much more flavor. 2. They have many more options like farm raised buffalo, Mich. Turkey, and a homemade blackbean 3. You can watch them cut the fries so you know they are fresh. 4. Plus they have amazing shakes, Five guys don't even have shakes, its not a true burger joint if you dont have shakes. 5. They have freshly baked buns. 6. Plus they are a local business that supports other local business. 7. I also believe that GP might be a little bit cheaper than Five guys. 8. Your burger is served on a tray not wrapped up in piece of foil. 9. They bring the food out to you. 10. they ask your name, so your not just another number to them, they actually care about who their customers are. I eat at Great Plains about once a week and i love the people that work their. Did i mention that the food is amazing! ( i just wish they had beer)
Lady Audrey
Wed, Jan 19, 2011 : 11:33 p.m.
It is still sad to see Shaman Drum gone. We definitely have plenty of fast food on State Street these days . . . I agree that the facade is a little odd but hey, we love Blimpie's and it is not exactly a show stopper for design.
ShadowManager
Wed, Jan 19, 2011 : 3:19 p.m.
Eddie Murphy's mom will make a betta burger than 'donalds or 5 guys.
Atticus F.
Fri, Jan 21, 2011 : 7:07 p.m.
Thats funny. I thought I was the only one that remembered that.
My2bits
Wed, Jan 19, 2011 : 2:10 p.m.
The best burgers are at the local pubs who use Knight's meat. Aren't we lucky to have local merchants buying their meat locally. How about readings making a list...I'll start with Casey's Tavern. Try a heart stopping three topping combo of cheese, bacon and guacamole. Mmmm, my fav.
Atticus F.
Fri, Jan 21, 2011 : 7:06 p.m.
Dont forget Banfields!
Tom Joad
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 11:30 p.m.
$5 for a burger with minimally-acceptable beef. You're getting the lowest common denominator food no matter what the hype they put out. In-N-Out, FiveGuys, McDonalds: Factory farm beef. If you've ever driven by one of these feed lots you'd swear off meat, believe me.
travis
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 5:01 p.m.
i enjoy a god medium rare to medium burger myself so when i heard well done i was thrown off but when i had one i don't think i've never had a burger as juicy as that! And there meat comes from wolverine meat's or something like that. as far as getting your order wrong maybe when you mumble in a place thats loud like that mayo may sound like tomato! i worked there when they opened and they only had 3 people come back in the seven hours i was there which when you serve 600 people thats not bad at all... not to mention if you had come up and said something they would have made you a whole new burger no problem! as far as the facade and never stepping foot in there who cares if it used to be a book store!? you really went there that often?! maybe if more people had went and spent money there they wouldn't have closed!
ShadowManager
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 3:52 p.m.
That Five Guys sign over the old bookstore facade looks so ridiculous I thought it was a bad photoshop joke. I shall make it a matter of pride to never step foot inside this travesty on State.
Ron Granger
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 3:32 p.m.
There are so many great *locally owned*, non-chain, burger joints in Ann Arbor. And a lot of those places are owner operated. Meaning the people who own the place actually work there, and maybe even make the food. Employees who have worked there for many years, and know your name. A lot of those places source their beef from local cows (Knights Meat Market), and they grind it fresh every day. Those places will *always* get my business ahead of a chain. From their website, I notice Five Guys only serves burgers WELL done. That's a deal breaker for me. No thanks. I looked at their website and saw no mention of beef being ground fresh daily. That might explain the well done only policy. Anyone know when and where their beef is ground?
loves_fall
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 3:15 p.m.
I love burgers as much as the next person, but at what point will we be saturated with burger joints, and will it happen before or after our arteries clog shut? All-natural or not, they're still burgers. Over the past few years, there have been a ton of burger places opening: 5 guys, @Burger, Bagger Dave's, All Star Burger (or whatever that burger place is next to Biggby on Plymouth), Great Plains Burger Co., and I'm sure I'm missing a bunch. Although I suppose before the burger crazy there was Jimmy John's for "fast food", and we know how many JJ's Ann Arbor can sustain.
Top Cat
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 2:26 p.m.
How can you eat a burger without a beer ?
5c0++ H4d13y
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 3:45 p.m.
My solution was to head over to Red Hawk afterwards.
breadman
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 1:51 p.m.
Oh My! Someone did remember the old McDonalds on Maynard some 32+ years ago (second floor) and how about the down stairs Burger King on the corner of Liberty and Maynard. Takes back many years when I walked that area picking up fliers from local stores to be places in the paper. Ads, because there was no computers and it was a job in High School.
Bill
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 1:29 p.m.
I'm too old to eat burgers and maintain a healthy body, but if I wasn't, I would bet that this location will be a great success for the chain. By the way, we did have a McDonalds in A2 (for over 25 years) down on Maynard next to the Arcade. Funny how things change, but remain the same...
5c0++ H4d13y
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 1:25 p.m.
I went yesterday to see what the hype was about. The burger tasted good. They got my order wrong. I guess "tomato" looks like "mayo" to them? It came smooched in foil. The fries were good. I'll go back on a slower day and try again.
Ignatz
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 1:01 p.m.
I find it kind of sad that so many people have this fixation on a low sort of food like a hamburger. There are good one, but the most popular ones are pretty much garbage. It must be an American thing.
ummsw
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 12:21 p.m.
I agree, they need to change the sign...Still reminds me of Shaman Drum.
jameslucas
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 6:17 a.m.
They make a good burger.
Kevin Lawrence
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 5:37 a.m.
That makes my doctoral program decision so much easier now that A2 has a Five Guys!
Renee
Mon, Jan 17, 2011 : 9:41 p.m.
I love burger joints, specially the ones that taste authentic like Blimpy burger. I hear Five Guys is similar to In-N-Out burger, which is the king of burger joints on the west coast. If Five Guys burgers taste anything like In-N-Out they should be great.
nightstars
Mon, Jan 17, 2011 : 9:01 p.m.
I too wish it was still Shaman Drum, but c'est la economie. In any case, hats off to Adelman & co. for doing business. I'll have to try them out. It seems fast food never really made it in that area...remember the Taco Bell on East U, the Burger King near Pinball Pete's, and the McD's where Bubble Island is now? So perhaps the demand has rebounded.
johnnya2
Mon, Jan 17, 2011 : 8:58 p.m.
@king Maybe you need to learn a little about the restaurant business before you decide to comment on something. MANY of those "500 restaurants that serve hamburgers" buy pre sliced onions and tomatoes, and a VAST majority of them buy frozen potatoes (french fries). In fact, I bet Blimpie Burger buys frozen potatoes. Why not enlighten us all about all these restaurants out there that do not even have a freezer. As usual, the locals are whining about a business that actually pays rent and taxes and may succeed over thee failed local guy that could not survive in the new business climate. These would be the ones who are mad that the local buggy manufacturer is out of business, replaced by the Howard Cooper Import center.
UtrespassM
Mon, Jan 17, 2011 : 8:36 p.m.
What will we have the next? McDonald in downtown Ann Arbor's "ex-Borders" building? After: 7-Eleven on South State in downtown Ann Arbor's ex-Ritz Camera building And: Five Guys Burgers and Fries on Ann Arbor's South State Street.
simply amazed
Thu, Jan 20, 2011 : 3:31 p.m.
lol. you must be too young to remember that there once WAS a McDonalds on Maynard around the corner from the Border's building many years ago. And a Burger King in the basement of the building on the corner of Liberty and Maynard west of Borders.
GoblueBeatOSU
Mon, Jan 17, 2011 : 8:15 p.m.
after reading this I need a burger......off to krazy jim's blimpy burger for a quad with bacon and onions.......just can't be topped....and they don't have the old bookstore smell.
Carl
Mon, Jan 17, 2011 : 8:11 p.m.
If they took down the facade, people would be saying, oh they should have left the old one. It's a lose lose for them
Barb
Tue, Jan 18, 2011 : 3:42 p.m.
I probably also costs some money. Always a consideration.
Ian
Mon, Jan 17, 2011 : 7:26 p.m.
I love Five Guys, but seeing their sign on Shaman Drum's old facade is heartbreaking. Just doesn't look right.
king
Mon, Jan 17, 2011 : 7:17 p.m.
"We tear the lettuce and cut up the tomatoes and onions. So, your produce is not frozen. And that's different from the other 500 restaurants in Ann Arbor that serves burgers.
Topher
Mon, Jan 17, 2011 : 6:38 p.m.
Yes! FINALLY a burger place in Ann Arbor...since there aren't any others already.
Random Man
Mon, Jan 17, 2011 : 6:26 p.m.
I agree with Jello's;"argh"; that is the noise my arteries will make soon, because I plan on eating there. 5 guys, burgers and fries is a great little restuarant that I'm always surprised to discover is a chain. Looking forward to some 50's comfort food done right.
Tom Joad
Mon, Jan 17, 2011 : 6:25 p.m.
Keeping that facade on a burger joint looks ridiculous. I'll never step foot in that place