Five Guys CEO Jokes About Why He Gave $1.5 Million To Staffers

The CEO of Five Guys joked that his motivation behind handing out $1.5 million in employee bonuses was a fear of being murdered.

The restaurant exec Jerry Murrell seemed to be making a dark reference to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024. 

“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,” Murrell, 82, told Fortune of their failed buy-one-get-one promotion that made headlines earlier this year.

In February, Five Guys celebrated its 40-year anniversary with a BOGO promo, which proved so popular that it crashed the app and led to many restaurants shutting their doors early and refusing to honor it. This led to massive backlash on social media. 

The company apologized for the chaos with a statement posted on its website. “We let you down, and we’re sorry,” it said. “The promotion spread far beyond what we anticipated, and our hardworking crews were placed in a difficult situation. Some locations ran out of product and had to close early. Online and app ordering experienced sporadic issues that prevented some of you from redeeming the offer.”

The apology went on to praise employees, saying this wasn’t their fault. “We also want to recognize the incredible men and women working in our restaurants. While yesterday’s issues were through no fault of their own, they handled it with the same grit and dedication that has defined Five Guys for four decades.”

Five Guys ran the promo again the following month with better preparation for how popular it would be. Murrell, founder of the popular burger joint, said he used his own money to pay out the bonuses.

“I was gonna buy my wife a new fur coat, and I spent it on [the bonus] instead,” Murrell told the outlet. “She still looks at me like I’m stupid. But I thought it was worth it. They worked so hard. They were so overwhelmed.”​

The outlet noted that Five Guys is one of the last major fast-food chains that is still private and family-owned. There are approximately 1,500 locations nationwide, meaning each restaurant received about $1,000.