Celebrations as Five Guys marks five years at Rushden Lakes

Staff at a Rushden Lakes restaurant are celebrating five years of serving freshly prepared burgers and fries to customers.

Five Guys opened at the retail and leisure development in 2018, with several original staff members still working there as they celebrate their fifth birthday.

This month’s celebrations for the team included a cake made up of a burger, fries and drink beautifully crafted by The Cake Room in Higham Ferrers.

Deputy general manager Lauren Brookes said the anniversary is ‘something we are very proud of as a store.’

And assistant manager Richard Pacey added: “We have got a couple of staff that have been here for five years and others close to four or five years – it sounds cheesy but we are like family.”

Customer service is one area which the team prides itself on, especially when it comes to regular customers and knowing their orders when they come in.

Lauren said: “It’s nice that we are able to build up that rapport with customers.”

And she is full of praise for the team of around 38 staff, saying: “We appreciate what they do day in, day out.

"In the quiet periods and the busier periods, they all chip in.

"Being a family, we make sure that everyone feels safe when they come to work.

"We do say this is a place where you feel you have someone to rely on.”

Rushden Lakes seems to be a great location for Five Guys, with crew member Bradley Tebbutt saying it’s nice that each of the restaurants in the leisure terrace has something different to offer.

And anyone visiting the Rushden Lakes branch will be able to try the recently launched limited edition pistachio milkshake, the latest addition to the menu giving customers even more milkshake mix-in options to choose from.

Five Guys was established in 1986 by the Murrell family in Virginia and launched in the UK in 2013, opening in Covent Garden on July 4.

Five Guys prides itself on using the freshest ingredients, and customers can find out which local farm the potatoes have come from by checking the restaurant’s notice board.

Burgers are grilled to order, while the fries are hand cut every morning and cooked in peanut oil.