Among the numerous stores and restaurants that have recently opened along 159th Street is the popular fast food chain, Five Guys.

Given its recent opening and its proximity to BV, seniors Charlie Doherty, Jake Russell, TJ Bratton, Gunnar Thomason and Tommy Bruce decided to seize this opportunity to earn some money together, and many others at BV have followed. 

“There’s a lot of people that work here, especially seniors I’m friends with,” Doherty said. “It’s a really comfortable environment with the managers. They aren’t as strict as some of the other places I’ve worked at. Also, I get free food every shift.” 

Given the referral bonus they received by hiring their friends and the nearly $20 wage when tips are included, there seemed to be virtually no downside.

“I’m pretty sure Jake started out there first, and then TJ was like, ‘Yo, we should all go work there,’” Thomason said. “Then all of us followed Jake, [and] they hired all of us. It’s fun because right after we work, we kind of screw around while we close, and I’m spending time with my friends, so how would it not be fun?”

As workers were hired, a running joke formed about the training process.

“Whenever there’s a new employee, we always talk about how they’re going to FGU — Five Guys University, [since] there’s videos we watch to be trained,” Doherty said. “[Being seniors], we always talk about how we attend FGU, so that’s pretty funny.”

Their recency of working there has had no hindrance on their supply of memorable shifts.

“There was a snowstorm and my manager lived in Lee’s Summit, so I became the manager for the night,” Russell said. “We pretty much closed down the store early and got to do whatever we want.”

The five guys have also witnessed their fair share of spills that add to their work-time comedy. 

“My funniest [memory] was probably when Tommy dropped two five-gallon buckets of grease on the floor,” Bratton said. 

The irony in this is that cleaning was agreed upon as the most dreaded task of their job. 

“Closing sucks — taking everything down and cleaning all of it is pretty boring,” Thomason said. “It drags on until it’s all done, so that’s probably the worst part.”

Nevertheless, the moments they experience while on the clock make this aspect of the job manageable. 

“I see people not only that I work with, but also people who come in often like Gigi [Mir] — I see her all the time,” Doherty said. “I get to talk to them on the clock, so that’s another cool thing about it because I see people all the time.”

The customers they engage with have spanned from friends to celebrities.

“We had Andy Reid come in one time, and he ordered so that was pretty cool,” Thomason said. “We all made sure his order was perfect, of course.”

Although the perks that accompany working there are nice additions, the experience of being among friends is the most distinguishing element.

“If you’re going to work somewhere, one of the most important things is working with people you know or just being able to make friends easily at the places you work at,” Doherty said. “[Five Guys is] just very comfortable, if I had to put it in one word. Everyone’s nice, everyone’s fun — it’s a cool place.”