Five Guys coming to Lima

LIMA — The rumors of a Five Guys opening on Elida Road turned out to be true.Famous Burger Group, owners of Five Guys Burgers and Fries in Toledo and Findlay, will open a new restaurant in the plaza in front of the Meijer store on Elida Road, next to Chipotle.Operations Manager Branden Yono said construction will begin in the next couple of weeks and the store should be opened by the end of summer.“You know how construction goes, but we're hoping for the end of August. To be safe, I'd say early or mid-September,” Yono said.Five Guys began in 1986 as a single restaurant in Arlington, Va. Its popularity in the Washington, D.C., area grew and in 2003 began to franchise. Since then, more than 1,000 locations have opened in 47 states and six Canadian provinces. It is famous for large burgers, a wide selection of toppings, and hand-cut fries.Rumors that the chain was coming to Lima began more than two years ago, about the time work began on the Elida Road plaza. Yono said the Lima store will be about 2,400 square feet, just a bit smaller than the Findlay store, but offer the same food, service and atmosphere.Yono expects to hire between 45 and 50 people to work in the Lima store. The company will be accepting applications at the location from noon to 3 p.m. June 18 and 4 to 6 p.m. June 20.Yono said he is convinced Lima will be a good fit for the chain.“We look for middle America. Lima is kind of representative of what the country is. I think we will do well there,” Yono said.