The space is situated in a free-standing building in an outlet in front of the Waynetowne Plaza. Five Guys’ new space most recently housed Al’s Smokehouse barbecue restaurant.
“We’re very happy with the way that construction went and very happy with all of the employees and I think they’re doing a really good job,” said Tom Gunlock, the co-franchise owner for Five Guys in the Miami Valley. “So, yeah, we’re looking forward to it.”
The 2,430-square-foot restaurant has a pick-up window — different from a drive-through window in that it will serve customers who have placed their orders in advance online — and has seating for 28, including outside seating, Gunlock said. About 33 new employees were hired for the restaurant’s new location.
“We have always wanted to be in Huber Heights,” Gunlock said of the new store.
Five Guys currently operates five other restaurants in the greater Dayton area, although none are in the northern half of Montgomery County. The existing restaurants are on Brown Street near the University of Dayton, on Pentagon Blvd. near the Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek, on Miamisburg-Centerville Road in Washington Twp., in Austin Landing in Miami Twp., and on Bechtle Road in Springfield.
Gunlock said he is looking to open a seventh Five Guys restaurant in the Dayton area, but has not chosen a location.
TGI Fridays shut its doors in September 2017 after a lengthy run. Al’s Smokehouse opened in March 2019 but had vacated by early January 2020, and the space has been vacant for a year.
Five Guys, also known as Five Guys Burgers and Fries, was founded in Washington D.C. in 1986 and is headquartered in northern Virginia. It now operates more than 1,600 locations across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Its restaurants offer hot dogs and ice cream shakes in addition to its signature burgers and fries.
The first Dayton-area Five Guys Burgers and Fries opened in 2009 on State Route 725 in Washington Twp.
