International burger brand, Five Guys will open its first Merseyside restaurant in Liverpool city centre’s Queen Square.

The popular fast food chain, which only has one other North West branch at Manchester’s Trafford Centre, will move in to the old Rat and Parrot building at the St George’s Quarter site and is expected to be operating in time for Christmas.

Formed in Virginia, USA in 1986 by Janie and Jerry Murrell, with the name referring to the couple’s sons, the restaurant brand has built up a cult-like following for its freshly made, fully customisable burgers, hand-cut fries and milkshakes.

Having also won US president Barack Obama’s seal of approval, the restaurant which serves up hot dogs, Cajun fries and breakfast options as well as burgers has more than 1,200 branches in the US and has launched 31 UK eateries since 2013.

Ahead of Five Guys’ opening in the city Daniel Hynd, managing director of Promenade Estates which owns and operates Queen Square, says: “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, adds: “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.

“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.”

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