Five Guys Burgers and Fries is moving out of its decade-long post at the Battlefield Mall to better attract a larger customer base, franchisee Jeff Offutt said.
The new restaurant will be located at 1008 E. Battlefield Rd., next to Starbucks and Jersey Mike's Subs, in the unit that previously housed Sushi Fork. The location just received its permits from the City of Springfield and plans to open in early spring, likely around April, Offutt said.
Five Guys has operated in the mall for a little more than 10 years, Offutt said. The location had its issues, the biggest being that customers had to leave Battlefield Road and park at the mall to eat there, Offutt said. The mall also didn't provide a robust enough customer base for the franchise, he said.
“The mall was a fine first location in the Springfield market for us,” Offutt said. “Malls in general are just not what they were 10 or 15 years ago.”
“We think that being away from the mall will allow us to better serve the community and get more folks that may not normally go to the mall.”
Offutt signed the lease at the new property, which is owned by Tillman Redevelopment, earlier this year, he said. Offutt is the sole franchisee of Five Guys in southwest Missouri and also owns Subway and Moe's Southwest Grill franchises, he said. Altogether, he owns 46 restaurants in Missouri.
A representative from Battlefield Mall, owned by Simon Property Group, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Brooke Blankenship, public relations and marketing director at Five Guys Enterprises, declined to comment.
Five Guys has been dishing out burgers and fries since 1986, according to its website. There are more than 1,600 locations across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, with another 1,500 units in development.
Still 2 Five Guys stores in Springfield
Besides the new location, Five Guys has a Springfield restaurant located at 2711 N. Kansas Expressway. Springfield is unlikely to see an additional Five Guys franchise opening, Offutt said.
“I don’t know if Springfield supports a third location for Five Guys,” Offutt said. “Five Guys is a treat occasion for guests, it’s not a daily [or] weekly dining occasion.”
In fact, must customers only eat at the Arlington, Virginia-based burger chain three to four times per year, Offutt said.
“We can’t have the same density of restaurants in a market that some of the other fast-food hamburger places have,” Offutt said.
