Obama's burger-chain of choice heading to Vancouver

[mr.x]

Obama's burger-chain of choice heading to Vancouver

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/www.vancouversun.com/life/Obama+burger+chain+choice+heading+Vancouver/2272580/2272363.bin

Five Guys Burgers and Fries, a U.S. burger chain, will open its first international location in Medicine Hat, Alta., in January, and plans to open two outlets in Vancouver before the Olympic Games begin.

U.S. President Barack Obama made headlines in May when he visited a D.C. franchise during NBC's Brian Williams White House special, buying burgers and fries for himself and some of his staffers. This came just months after Michelle Obama did the same thing. Loca-vores were saddened that the first couple eschewed the produce growing organically in their backyard, but for burger lovers everywhere, the move was a major sign of solidarity.

"We're not sure if we're his favourite burger joint," says Five Guys spokeswoman Molly Catalano. "But we're very excited that the President likes our burgers."

Indeed, Obama is just one of millions of Americans who enjoys Five Guys. The company was founded in 1981 with a single location in Arlington, Va., and in just over 20 years, it has expanded to more than 450 locations in more than 30 states across the country.

Medicine Hat is first on an expansive list of potential Canadian locations, mostly because it fits the needs of the Canadian franchise owners.

"That's their territory," says Catalano of the franchise owners, who also have restaurants in Utah and Idaho. "It's a good fit for our demographic requirements. They use modelling software to figure it out, but it's a place where people like burgers."

Besides its carnivorous population, Alberta has its advantages for a place that specializes in burgers and fries.

"We're looking to source some of our food locally as we grow," says Terry Jennings, vice-president of operations of Five Guys Canada. "We're looking into getting our potatoes from Taber, Alta., and there's nothing like Alberta beef."

They'll have to wait until a few more restaurants open before they go local, but Jennings thinks Canada is ready for a new burger joint — which will, in most ways, be identical to the U.S. version.

"The most exciting thing, to me, is that Canadians love quality," he says, stressing that the burgers and fries are made from scratch every day. "That's the hallmark of Five Guys. And boy, you can taste the difference."

The company's appetite for expansion is great. After Medicine Hat, Jennings says a couple of locations should be open in Vancouver in time for the Olympics.

By the end of next year, Canadians from Vancouver to Toronto can expect a Five Guys outlet near home.

But in a country where Obama's meals hold less political sway, it's not clear how Five Guys, which doesn't advertise, will fare. Jennings takes the move to Canada seriously, though, even offering a hockey-related example.

"The Calgary Flames love Five Guys," Jennings says. "They schedule team stops at our restaurants when they're in the States. I think they'll like to have one in Calgary."

As for whether Canada's prime minister plans to mimic his American counterpart at the new location in his home province, Jennings was unsure.

"You'd have to ask Stephen about that," he says. "But, believe me, we'd welcome him."
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

[SpongeG]

i wonder where and cool

[Yume-sama]

I love me a good burger. Has anybody ever had these before :P? Maybe johnjimbc who lived in DC?!

[GeeCee]

I went to one this summer in Salt Lake City. Much better than In-N-Out IMO. Can't wait!

[Yume-sama]

I went to one this summer in Salt Lake City. Much better than In-N-Out IMO. Can't wait!

Hmmmmm. Well, I must say that's not a huge accomplishment.

Nonetheless, I'll be sure to try! :D

[SpongeG]

M2nXIX6sztY

[GeeCee]

Hmmmmm. Well, I must say that's not a huge accomplishment.

Nonetheless, I'll be sure to try! :D

That's more or less what I meant, lol. In-N-Out is pretty bland - not sure why people like it so much.

The fries are very good. They even have spicy fries!

[Yume-sama]

I wonder where they'll open. If they somehow open where Sil Vous Plait was on Robson... I'll be dead within a year.

Tim Hortons, them, JapaDog, and Beard Papa right next to eachother.

But I'll have lived a wonderful, gluttonous, grease fueled year :D!

[SpongeG]

something is going in there we passed today it was gutted - good location and olympic ready possible

fat burger is expanding a bit here too lately

[Yume-sama]

something is going in there we passed today it was gutted - good location and olympic ready possible

fat burger is expanding a bit here too lately

Oh my! Let the wild speculation begin!!

It's either going to be them, a Starbucks, or something Japanese. :P

[touraccuracy]

they're opening in langley. this is a promise i don't feel like backing up at the moment, you'll just have to trust me haha.

[SpongeG]

langley gets everything

[touraccuracy]

thunderbird village to be exact. and it's a great burger joint. i'm excited.

[touraccuracy]

201599 88 Avenue , Langley, BC, V1M 0A4@49.159888,-122.663105

to be more exact.

[Yume-sama]

Well, they best have one downtown!!

[SpongeG]

ah walnut grove area

[deasine]

In-N-Out is quite horrible. I ordered three burgers (not all for myself) and they were all not yet cooked...

[Distill3d]

Obama's burger-chain of choice heading to Vancouver

....Jennings takes the move to Canada seriously, though, even offering a hockey-related example.

"The Calgary Flames love Five Guys," Jennings says. "They schedule team stops at our restaurants when they're in the States...."



Good enough for me, I'm in.

[GeeCee]

still choked about no carl's jr like we were supposed to be getting.. i'll certainly take five guys though. hopefully they'll stick one out in the tri-cities/burnaby sooner rather than later.

if they're gonna put one in langley, they'll probably stick the other one downtown or thereabouts.

[Distill3d]

still choked about no carl's jr like we were supposed to be getting.. i'll certainly take five guys though. hopefully they'll stick one out in the tri-cities/burnaby sooner rather than later.

if they're gonna put one in langley, they'll probably stick the other one downtown or thereabouts.

They'll probably have one at YVR and one downtown.

If they'd open a couple more, Coquitlam Center and Langley would get one for sure.

[johnjimbc]

Ha! I saw this and thought, "I have to say something" then saw that Yume was wondering if I would.

I like Five Guys. I'm not sure I'd call them my favorite burgers ever, but they are quite good. I hope they carry the same quality up here.

I'm not a big fan of their fries actually, but the burgers are tasty. Basic burgers with basic toppings made fresh with good beef.

I like the pic with the article. It's the same five brothers I used to go to in downtown dc ;). I don't want to get my or yume's hopes up, but the old s'il vous plait site would be about the right size for them. That would be cool, a nice use for that corner space. I'm guessing that denman might be more their speed though, although they seem to choose a variety of locations. Around DC, they were in some very suburban mall shops as well as in the heart of various hoods in more historic downtown areas. So it's a bit hard to speculate. I could picture them a variety of places, though they'll probably start downtown somewhere.

[SpongeG]

been twice now - the second time was better - i ordered a little burger which is much eeasier to eat than a regular one and the fries are great - the cajun fries are good but way too spicy

[touraccuracy]

sooooo have they opened a location yet or not? it was supposed to be before the olympics, which have clearly passed. their site says there's a location in park royal, but i called the phone number to double check and it doesn't exist :S

[Spoolmak]

There is one in West Vancouver on Esplanade Ave according to their website

[Spoolmak]

sooooo have they opened a location yet or not? it was supposed to be before the olympics, which have clearly passed. their site says there's a location in park royal, but i called the phone number to double check and it doesn't exist :S

didn't read this til after. What a shame. Surrey was supposed to get a Carls Jr. I wonder if that ever happened.

[GeeCee]

The one in West Van has been open for a while - just after the Olympics I believe. Been there once.

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/14/1514547/restaurant/Vancouver/West-Vancouver/Five-Guys-Burgers-Fries-Capilano-Indian-Reserve-5

No Carl's Jr yet though. It ended up becoming an A&W instead.

[SpongeG]

been to the one in park royal twice so yes its open

as for carls jr i wonder the surrey location never happenned opened as an A&W instead

[Hitmonlee]

I'm not a fan of Carls Jr. Went to the one in Spokane and didn't like it. Their burgers are average at best.

Now Jack In The Box on the other hand is pure crack cocaine. They need to expand into BC

[touraccuracy]

went to five guys last night for dinner:
-really really good burger
-the cajun fries suck
-the regular fries are pretty good
-they give you an amazing amount of fries for just the regular size, no need to get the larger size, one regular size is enough for two people
-they're a little full of themselves with the decor being made entirely of quotes praising their restaurant
-the free peanuts are awesome

[vancityrox]

I really want to try this place.
Hopefully they open a downtown location soon!

I actually really enjoyed Jack in the Box too in LA. But nothing beats In and Out Burger........ZOMG

[SpongeG]

this place beats in n out :) i think so and most peopel i know prefer it over in n out

[vancityrox]

this place beats in n out :) i think so and most peopel i know prefer it over in n out

Yeah but you can't beat the price at In And Out....Can't wait for LA in July! Animal Burger is awesome!

[Yume-sama]

As a burger snob myself, In 'N Out is terrible :P

Though I did see two fat ladies fight over the last ketchup packet. So, that's something.

[giallo]

I'll make the trek to West Vancouver this summer to try it out. My wife, like Yume, is a bit of a burger snob and really wants to give Five Guys a go.

As for Carl's Jr., I think they ditched their Canadian expansion plans for now. The focus of the chain seems to be Asia, or more specifically, China. They opened the flagship restaurant in Shanghai last year with a bunch more opening up in 2010. The Jalepano burger is awesome.

[Yume-sama]

:P OK, so I'm not really a burger snob, but it certainly is pretentious in American circles to say you've had better than In 'N Out.

My favorite burger chain is Freshness Burger in Japan. Oh my goodness it is sooooo good. And... Fresh.

But the BEST hamburger I've ever had is from the room service menu at the Park Hyatt Tokyo. Mouth watering~

Every Asian hotel I've ever stayed in has made an AWESOME hamburger, actually. It's kind of weird.

[Hitmonlee]

:previous: The best burger you ever had was in Japan? You need to get out more.

[Yume-sama]

:previous: The best burger you ever had was in Japan? You need to get out more.

Nope, I don't think so. Japanese people do non-Japanese food probably better than anyone else.

Sadly, I enjoy Canadian Japanese food more than Japanese Japanese food, though. :( I hate fish.

[Hitmonlee]

I like this place

http://burgerpte.com/img/logo.gif

Lots of good burger places in the midwest

[jsbertram]

When you've partied quite too much the night before in Portland, nothing better than Burgerville to get the day started (even if its after noon).

The early-60s one near the convention centre was knocked over & replaced with a modern building, but the burgers &tc are just like I remember.

Can't leave PDX without at least one Burgerville fix.

[twoNeurons]

Nope, I don't think so. Japanese people do non-Japanese food probably better than anyone else.

Sadly, I enjoy Canadian Japanese food more than Japanese Japanese food, though. :( I hate fish.

I don't hate fish, but I will say that Vancouver's Japanese scene has quite a few pleasant surprises. There are things like dynamite rolls and BC Rolls which can be fantastic and are an excellent addition to standard Japanese cuisine ( which tends to stay quite traditional ).

I'll agree the the Japanese tend to do well on foreign food. Their bakeries outFrench the French and have a penchant for continuously perfecting things and due to their traditional diet ( which could be considered bland by many western standards ), Japanese people generally have a more sensitive palate and can more easily detect subtle differences in taste. They tend to not oversaturate food with flavors... though they do tend to like more salty tastes.

Of course, anyone can over time be the same, ya just has to stop desensitizing yer taste buds by eatin' ketchup flavored potato chips. :D

That being said, isn't it ironic that MSG, the super-flavor chemical, was discovered in Japan ( in Seaweed, nonetheless ).

Oh... and to burger snobs, I was in Seattle last weekend and I tried the burger at China Kitchen ( Close to the Westin, around 5th and Pine I think? ). It was mouth-wateringly good. Have it with swiss cheese instead of blue... the blue overpowered the taste of the meat.

[Yume-sama]

lol yes they are very, VERY sensitive to flavors, like sweet, or spicy.

I made my friends 6 year old girl cry by giving her a Mint Aero bar, she couldn't handle the sweetness of it and had to spit it out. I had no idea.

And his wife almost threw up eating a Peanut Butter Cup. Though, she eats Nutella on dried seaweed for a snack.

And I saw a grown man cry at a Mexican restaurant in Yokohama upon trying a drop of the "medium" spicy sauce. His girlfriend was laughing at him.

Until she tried it, too.

[touraccuracy]

i've actually got a list of american burger places to try next time i'm down there.

nothing high end, i'm actually kind of fascinated by the chains they have:

white castle, in n' out, carls jr, whataburger, chik-fil-et, sonic, etc

at least i got to cross five guys off the list! looking for more recommendations if y'all have any.

[Yume-sama]

I would actually try American Five Guys, too, anyways. Ours is probably slightly different than America.

Even vegetarian dishes come coated in several layers of thick grease in the USA, so I have no doubt Five Guys is up to 7x greasier in the USA.

And they would NOT have it any other way! :D

Not so much a recommendation, but Americans seem to love Johnny Rockets. So you should probably go there, too.
http://www.johnnyrockets.com/

[East Van]

Now Jack In The Box on the other hand is pure crack cocaine. They need to expand into BC

No doubt. Whats the deal wid that ? Im sure not the only one waits in those BS boarder line ups for that sourdough crack.

[Hitmonlee]

i've actually got a list of american burger places to try next time i'm down there.

nothing high end, i'm actually kind of fascinated by the chains they have:

white castle, in n' out, carls jr, whataburger, chik-fil-et, sonic, etc

at least i got to cross five guys off the list! looking for more recommendations if y'all have any.

Sonic's double cheeseburger is awesome. Get the blue powerade slushie with your meal too!

White castle I wasn't a fan of. Their burgers are really small. I ordered a meal and it came with 4. No toppings except a pickle and cheese. Didn't taste too good.

Carls Jr. like I said in the earlier post, nothing special. I ordered their double cheese burger, I think it was called a star burger or something.

Haven't tried the other 2

[Hitmonlee]

No doubt. Whats the deal wid that ? Im sure not the only one waits in those BS boarder line ups for that sourdough crack.

Sourdough ultimate cheeseburger!!!!!!!!!

*dead*

[OhioGuy]

i've actually got a list of american burger places to try next time i'm down there.

nothing high end, i'm actually kind of fascinated by the chains they have:

white castle, in n' out, carls jr, whataburger, chik-fil-et, sonic, etc

at least i got to cross five guys off the list! looking for more recommendations if y'all have any.

I've had burgers at all of those places (other than chik-fil-et, I've only ever had chicken there) and I'd probably rank Whataburger as my favorite (thouse In-N-Out is a close 2nd). While I was happy to move away from Texas after 2.5 years living there, I do miss Whataburger.