Five Guys will close two Los Angeles-area locations later this month.
The burger chain announced in a recent state filing that its locations in City of Industry and Whittier will close in late May. An outlet in Merced will also close its doors in late June, and one in Hanford will shut down in early July, according to state court filings.
The burger giant is the latest fast-food chain to shutter locations as the industry struggles with rising labor and real estate costs in the state.
The company cited “financial hardship” as a reason for the closures, according to a filing.
Employers are legally required to submit a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN notice, to alert employers, state and local officials at least 60 days before major layoffs. The initial notices were submitted in late April and early May.
The chain had steady growth in 2024, but seems to have stumbled in California. It opened 37 new storefronts that year, according to the company’s franchise disclosure document. Yet California stores accounted for eight of the 14 locations that closed that year.
The closures will result in 55 jobs lost across the four locations, according to the WARN notice.
A spokesperson for Five Guys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fast food chains have struggled against rising operational costs and increasingly cost-conscious customers.
California’s economic landscape has further complicated business in the state. While aerospace and defense companies have continued to flock to the state, companies in other sectors, including food, have started to bail out.
Five Guys ranked 42 in QSR Magazine’s top 50 U.S. restaurants list for 2026 and the number of locations in the country rose by 2% in 2025.
The chain got its start around 40 years ago in Virginia and now operates over 1,900 locations, according to its website.
The restaurant’s website lists over 85 locations in California, including at least 15 storefronts in the Los Angeles area.
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