Five Guys Burger Chain Set To Move Into Jackson & Rye Site

American chain chooses Chiswick as part of UK expansion

Picture: Kevin Jarrett

Five Guys burger fast food chain is planning to take over the former Jackson & Rye vacant premises to open a branch on Chiswick High Road later this year, according to industry sources.

The company, which opened its 100th UK site last month at St Paul's in central London, has secured sites in Chiswick and Brighton for 2020 openings, according to Propel, a hospitality website.

A local source in Chiswick said it understands the company has already started to advertise for staff.

The chain is also planning to open in Fulham Broadway, Bath, Swindon and Baker Street. Its closest branches to Chiswick are currently the Westfield shopping centre and Kingston.

We have asked the company's media office at its headquarters for comment and have yet to hear back.

Jackson & Rye was an American-themed restaurant at 217-221 Chiswick High Road, which closed in July 2018, and the site has been vacant since then.

An application to redevelop the first floor of the premises into a three bedroom flat was recently rejected by planners at Hounslow Council. Permission had been sought for a flat on the upper floor leaving the ground floor as a restaurant.

The first floor had previously been part of Jamie Oliver's Union Jacks restaurant and before that Villandry. Prior to that it was Ask Pizza and Pasta.

Five Guys is a American fast casual chain specialising in burgers, hot dogs and fries as well as milkshakes. Its headquarters are in Lorton, Virginia USA.

Its first restaurant opened in 1986 and it expanded rapidly after it started franchising in 2003. It has over 1,500 locations worldwide and another 1,500 under development and in 2011 was the fasted growing fast-food chain in the US.

A famous customer at Five Guys Washington

It was founded by Janie and Jerry Murrell, and their five sons are all involved in the business, hence the name.

The first outlet outside America opened in Long Acre, Covent Garden in 2013.

The chain has something of a cult following and is instantly recognisable for its red and white checked interiors. Bags of potatoes are often left in store for decorative and storage purposes.

January 18, 2020