Five Guys CEO Rewards Workers with $1.5M After Anniversary Deal Chaos

The burger chain acknowledged it underestimated demand for its 40th anniversary BOGO promotion.

Mar. 27, 2026 at 5:26am

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Five Guys is rewarding its employees with around $1.5 million in bonuses after an unexpectedly overwhelming promotion for the company's 40th anniversary led to issues at some locations, including running out of food, closing early, and experiencing online ordering problems. CEO Jerry Murrell said he wrote 1,500 bonus checks, acknowledging the company underestimated the demand for the buy-one-get-one (BOGO) deal launched on February 17.

Why it matters

The move by Five Guys to compensate its frontline workers for handling the surge in demand during the 40th anniversary promotion highlights the challenges businesses can face when a marketing campaign exceeds expectations. It also demonstrates the importance of recognizing and rewarding employees who go above and beyond during difficult situations.

The details

Five Guys said the 40th anniversary BOGO promotion "spread far beyond what we anticipated," putting its hardworking crews "in a difficult situation." Some locations ran out of food, closed early, and experienced online ordering issues as a result of the overwhelming response. CEO Jerry Murrell told Fortune he wrote 1,500 bonus checks to recognize the employees for their "grit and dedication" in handling the surge.

  • The BOGO deal was launched on February 17 to celebrate Five Guys' 40th anniversary.
  • Five Guys brought back the BOGO offer from March 9-12.

The players

Five Guys

A popular American fast-casual burger restaurant chain.

Jerry Murrell

The CEO of Five Guys who distributed around $1.5 million in bonuses to 1,500 employees after the company's 40th anniversary promotion exceeded expectations.

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What they’re saying

“The promotion spread far beyond what we anticipated, and our hardworking crews were placed in a difficult situation.”

— Five Guys

“I didn't want anybody shooting me in the back or anything after the first day, because we really screwed it up. We had no idea that we were going to get that kind of response.”

— Jerry Murrell, CEO

What’s next

Five Guys brought back the BOGO offer from March 9-12, likely to continue capitalizing on the popularity of the 40th anniversary promotion.

The takeaway

The Five Guys story highlights the importance of being prepared for unexpected surges in demand, as well as the value of recognizing and rewarding frontline employees who go above and beyond to handle challenging situations. It demonstrates how a business can turn a potential PR crisis into a positive by compensating workers for their efforts.