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Everybody's Business

At Five Guys, it's all about the burgers

By MiCHAEL CANNING
Published January 12, 2007

No freezers, no drive-throughs, no meal combos. At Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries, it's pretty obvious what they're about.

You can decide for yourself whether the "Famous" part is justified when the chain, based in Alexandria, Va., opens a location at 3841 W Kennedy Blvd. the first week of February.

General manager Allan Christensen also runs the only other Five Guys in the area, inside the University Collection shopping center on Fowler Avenue.

He said the franchise owes its success to its old-fashioned, no-fluff approach to fast-food burgers . Beef patties are packed and fries are cut fresh daily.

Nothing's frozen, and nothing costs more than $5. When you order a burger, all the toppings you want are added for free. A regular order of fries can feed two, according to Christensen.

The retro, red and white tile decor is dominated by a sign board that announces the restaurant's current potato supplier. Hot dogs and grilled cheese sandwiches are also offered.

Christensen said his new restaurant will seat 42, possibly more, and will be open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.

He said Five Guys restaurants are also planned for Carrollwood, New Tampa, Riverview and Oldsmar.

There are 130 locations nationwide. Contracts for 1,000 new franchises have been signed, Christensen said.

Five Guys refers to founder Jerry Murrell and his four sons, who help run the business.

Paver firm to move

No one's trying to domesticate that hectic east-west corridor. It's just that Octopus Pavers and Stones is moving to 1302 E Hillsborough Ave. in Old Seminole Heights.

Owner Frank Melgar is moving his operation from 3910 E 12th Ave. and hopes to open within a week.

The 2,100-square-foot former credit union building will be converted into a showroom for his stone flooring stock.

More than 40 varieties of travertine, chiseled tile, and natural stones from Turkey will be displayed, along with Brazilian granite counter tops.

Outside, 32 styles of pavers and 12 types of outdoor marble trim will be displayed.

Melgar has been looking for a location on that part of Hillsborough Avenue for two years. That's largely because in that span of time he has done 17 jobs just from the Seminole Heights area.

But the increasing popularity of pavers has also led him to evolve his business from its landscaping and nursery roots, thus making his 12th Avenue location obsolete.

Melgar said pavers are eclipsing their chief rival, concrete, because they're more environmentally friendly, being hollow and allowing water to drain into the soil, and easier to install, remove and repair, he said.

Octopus' hours at the new location will be Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday 8:30 a.m. to noon.

Silver specialist open

22 Karat Treasures opened at 500 S Howard Ave., Suite E, in mid December. Owner Burcun Alevok features only sterling silver jewelry, much of it handmade in his native Turkey.

Alevok - you can call him Burke - said a lot of the Turkish stuff is coated with rhodium, a platinum derivative that keeps silver free of tarnish. There's also plenty of jewelry without rhodium for those who actually enjoy polishing their silver.

The 750-square-foot storefront inside the 500 SoHo strip center was previously home to Just Popcorn and Candy Too, which moved to 1541 S Dale Mabry Highway in November.

22 Karat's hours are 10 a.m to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Do you know something that should be everybody's business? Call 226-3394, or e-mail mikecanning@hotmail.com.

The find

Ceramic platter

Artist Rosa Saldaitis, born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and now living in our St. Petersburg, sculpts and fires colorful pottery platters and bowls in many sizes and shapes. Her artistic designs are showcased at Mona Lisa custom framing, 4526 W Kennedy Blvd. Prices range from $38 to $200. Call 286-8024.

- AMY SCHERZER

[Last modified January 11, 2007, 08:14:53]