It would be pretty safe to say that Robb Loyd considers himself a Five Guys Burgers and Fries “fanatic.” The Mansfield resident has started a social media campaign to bring the popular restaurant franchise to the Mansfield area.
“The Facebook page was started on Nov. 27, 2013,” said Loyd. “I’m a big fan of Five Guys and what they represent. Some friends and I were just joking around and we were irritated that there was a 45 minute to an hour drive to eat there, so we thought, why not have a Five Guys here? We’ve got plenty of real estate open for it.”
Loyd said that through creating the Facebook page, “Bring Five Guys to Mansfield,” he wanted to see if there was anyone else who was interested in the food franchise coming to area. And there was a huge interest, with the page getting approximately 1,500 likes in a little over 30 days.
“I didn’t really expect it to blow up the way it did,” he said. “I just started sharing (the page) with my friends and it just kind of blew up from there.”
For those who have never heard of Five Guys Burgers and Fries or have never eaten there, the restaurant is known for the 250,000 ways they can fix a burger, Loyd said. They also serve hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches and fresh cut potatoes for their fries.
“They get their potatoes from certain distributers in the United States,” he said. “Every day or every week, they put up a sign that says, ‘Today’s potatoes are from Idaho.’ Everything they do is fresh. It’s kind of like Subway where you can watch your food being prepared.”
According to www.fiveguys.com, the burger joint got its start in 1986, opening the first restaurant in Arlington, VA. Since that time, Five Guys has opened over 1,000 locations in 47 states and six Canadian provinces. The closest Five Guys restaurant to Richland County is in Sandusky at 4317 Milan Road. There are also some locations in the Columbus area.
Loyd said the power of social media to band people together with common interests has been amazing.
“It’s great,” he said of the Facebook page. “I think it gives people like me – the little people – a chance to have a voice,” he said. “It gave me the opportunity to have a voice and to know that there are currently 1500 people in Richland County that feel the same way to do. It allows them to ‘share’ and to ‘like’ and give them that same opportunity to say, ‘Why not Five Guys?,’or anything else for that matter.’”
He added, “Facebook has its downfalls but in the case of something like this, it shows the power of social media and the word of mouth is amazing.”
The 35-year-old said he monitors the page daily and interacts with followers by posting questions. He also said he wants to start having people post pictures of themselves while dining at a Five Guys restaurant.
Loyd, who graduated from Crestview High School in 1996, said he would be very happy if the Facebook page he started was the impetus for a Five Guys restaurant coming to Mansfield.
“Honestly, I would be pretty stoked,” he said with a chuckle. “I think that if a Facebook page were to bring something like that to this location that would tell me that anybody can do it.
“My friends and I joke that if they do bring Five Guys here, then they need to paint my picture on the wall.”
“Facebook has its downfalls but in the case of something like this, it shows the power of social media and the word of mouth is amazing.”
Robb Loyd
