Five Guys Gives $1.5M Bonus After Promo Crisis

Five Guys chief executive officer Jerry Murrell revealed that he distributed a $1.5 million bonus to employees across the company’s U.S. restaurants following operational problems tied to a highly popular buy-one-get-one-free promotion.

In an interview with Fortune, Murrell acknowledged the company underestimated customer demand during the February promotion, which was organized to celebrate Five Guys’ 40th anniversary. The unexpected surge caused the company’s mobile application to crash and forced several restaurant locations to suspend the offer earlier than planned, leading to criticism from customers on social media.

Murrell said the bonus was intended to recognize the intense workload employees faced during the promotion. He also used humor to describe the situation, saying he wanted to reward staff after the company “really messed it up” and did not anticipate such a strong response from customers.

Following the backlash, Five Guys issued an apology on 18 February, admitting the company had placed its “hardworking crews” in a difficult situation. A second statement released on 9 March announced that the promotion would return for four additional days as part of a corrective effort.

The company stated that customer turnout exceeded expectations and acknowledged it failed to meet internal service standards. Five Guys emphasized that the decision to relaunch the promotion aimed to rebuild customer trust and deliver the experience originally promised.

Five Guys currently operates approximately 1,900 locations worldwide and employs around 30,000 people across 28 countries. Murrell founded the burger chain in 1986 in Arlington, Virginia, and continues to lead the company today.

The incident highlights the challenges restaurants face when managing high-demand digital promotions and the importance of preparing infrastructure to support large-scale customer engagement.