Washington, D.C., June 4, 2008… Five Guys, the popular homegrown restaurant that serves quality burgers and fries, will open this summer in the NoMa (north of Massachusetts Avenue) neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It will join Pound Coffee, Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli, and Sister’s Pizza & Mussels in a retail building just outside the New York Avenue Metro station at 2nd and N Streets, N.E.Capital Retail Group and LeDroit Park Development Company are leasing the 8,000 square foot retail building constructed by the U.S. General Services Administration adjacent to the new headquarters of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The retail building, featuring outdoor seating and direct access to Metro, is open to the public.

The NoMa Five Guys outlet will be operated by Steve Forehand, who runs four other Five Guys franchises in the District; one is located inside the new Nationals Ballpark and the others are in Chinatown, National Place, and International Square. “I decided to come to NoMa because it’s the next emerging business center,” he said. “With all the new tenants moving in like the Department of Justice and NPR, we know there will be a need for food!”

Five Guys was founded in Arlington, Virginia in 1986 by the Morrell family, and is now franchised with 262 stores throughout the East Coast. Its menu consists of burgers with a choice of 16 free toppings, hot dogs, fries, and sodas. Washingtonian magazine has rated Five Guys burgers the best in the area for the last seven consecutive years.

“Five Guys will provide great synergy with the other amenities at the ATF retail building,” said Carla Merritt of LeDroit Park Development Company. Added Robert Tack of Capital Retail Group (www.capitalretailgroup.com): “Steve has a great track record and the experience needed to make this store a success.”

“We are excited about the new retail amenities coming to NoMa that will serve not only local office workers but also nearby residents,” said Elizabeth Price, President of the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID). “There is a great demand for new, high quality restaurants and Five Guys will be a great addition. With Harris Teeter under construction and other retail announcements expected over the coming months, NoMa is becoming a great place to live, work, and eat!”

NoMa is an emerging mixed-use neighborhood north of the U.S. Capitol and Union Station in Washington DC. Private developers have invested approximately $1.5 billion to date with plans to develop over 20 million square feet of office, residential, hotel, and retail space in the area covered by the NoMa BID over the next 10 years. The BID provides daily street and sidewalk cleaning, safety ambassadors, marketing, events, and other services to make NoMa a clean, safe, and vibrant neighborhood for businesses, residents, and visitors. For more information about the BID, including an interactive development map, see the BID Website at http://nomabid.wpengine.com.