Five Guys acknowledged that it was unprepared for the demand generated by its 40th birthday Buy One, Get One promotion on Tuesday, February 17.
In a statement shared on social media, the burger chain said it had “vastly underestimated” customer response to the promotion, adding that the surge in orders led to shortages that affected both customers and store crews. The company apologized for not meeting expectations and said it is replenishing fresh product across locations. Five Guys also indicated that another celebration is planned in the future to make up for the issues, with details to be announced.
The post quickly drew thousands of reactions and comments from customers across the country. Some shared positive experiences, saying their local restaurants handled the promotion smoothly and praised staff for keeping up despite the rush. Others described locations running out of bread, turning off online ordering, or being unable to honor the promotion at all.
As the discussion grew, humor quickly took over the comment section. One commenter joked, “What happened? Was there only four guys?” Another wrote, “Never have I heard a guy admit that they let me down… let alone five at the same time.” Others chimed in with tongue-in-cheek suggestions, including calls to lower prices permanently or simply “do it again,” noting that their local stores managed just fine.
The mix of praise, frustration, and jokes highlighted both the popularity of the promotion and the challenges of executing a nationwide deal that relied heavily on inventory and online ordering.
