International burger joint Five Guys will take up tenancy in the old Rat and Parrot building at Queen Square.

Five Guys began in Virginia, USA, in 1986 by Janie and Jerry Murrell, with the ‘Five guys’ being the couple’s sons. The restaurant is famous for its casual fast-food mantra, as well as its freshly made, fully customisable burgers, hand-cut fries and milkshakes.

The fast food chain also has Barack Obama’s seal of approval, thanks to its ‘no frills’ attitude and top-quality food that is prepared fresh on a daily basis.

Five Guys has built an almost cult like following across the world, famed for its burgers but also hot dogs, Cajun fries and breakfast offerings.

The brand is renowned for cooking locally-sourced ingredients fresh on the day. In addition, each component of the burger assembly line has been specially selected, such as the grain-fed – rather than grass-fed – beef. The quality of grain-fed beef is renowned worldwide for its succulent tenderness and sweet, rich flavour. This US model of grain-fed beef is becoming ever more popular in the UK, as British tastes are changing. Five Guys are leading the way and offering tastier, juicier beef for UK burger lovers.

The group has more than 1,200 locations in the US and has taken the UK by storm, with a total of 31 restaurants opening since 2013. The Covent Garden branch is one of the busiest of all the Five Guys restaurants in the world, despite only opening its doors two years ago.

Five Guys will take up the 3850 sq ft unit on the ground floor of the building and will be the first of the brand’s restaurants in Merseyside, with the only other North West venue at the Trafford Centre, in Manchester. It will join Nando’s, La Tasca and Buffalo Jacks amongst the restaurant offering at Queen Square in the St George’s Quarter.

Daniel Hynd, managing director of Promenade Estates which owns and operates Queen Square, says:

“We’re thrilled to announce that Five Guys will be one of the new tenants for Queen Square. It’s an exciting, family-run brand that have taken off as one of the most successful restaurant brands in the world.

“The success of the high-end burger market shows no sign of slowing down and Five Guys is one of the most famous ambassadors of high quality burgers. Queen Square is a great long standing location for restaurants in Liverpool, and the addition of Five Guys further adds to the eclectic mix of food offers already in the square.”

John Eckbert, UK CEO for Five Guys, says:

“Five Guys is very excited to be launching in Liverpool – one of England’s proudest and most important cities. Queen Square is a hub of activity from playhouses to galleries, attracting the kinds of customers that will be looking for our fresh burgers and fries.

“We can’t wait to introduce Liverpool to America’s leading premium burger with over 250,000 combinations of free toppings. The same passion that Liverpool brings to football, whether you cheer for Liverpool or Everton, we bring to burgers. We look forward to opening later this year and serving our first burger on Merseyside.”

Daniel adds:

“Attracting strong brands such as Five Guys is a real coup, and will benefit from being part of the estate which fronts onto a key gateway to the city and one of the busiest transport terminals in Europe.”

Agents acting on behalf of Promenade Estates were Savills and Mason Owen.

Promenade Estates aim to have Five Guys open and operating in time for Christmas.