Five Guys CEO Jerry Morrell admitted to giving a $1.5 million bonus to workers because he didn’t want to be fired.
Jerry Morrell, CEO of fast-food chain Five Guys, offered a $1.5 million bonus to employees at all stores. But the reason was not what one might have expected. The CEO was scared and didn’t want to meet Luigi Mangione anytime soon. Earlier this year, the CEO candidly admitted that his kindness was just to save his own back and that he didn’t want to get fired.In February, Five Guys ran a two-for-one promotion to celebrate its 40th anniversary. They thought it would be another promotion but the response was unexpected. Their app crashed and many outlets had to pull the offer early.The storm followed them on social media. The company apologized and restarted the show after a hiatus. “You visited our restaurants in large numbers, and we were not ready to welcome you.
We haven’t lived up to our own standards, and that’s not something we take lightly. “We are therefore requesting a retry,” one company statement in March said.Workers had to bear the brunt of consumer frustration, and that’s when Morrell, 82, decided to write 1,500 checks ($1,000 for each affected store) to his employees, he said in an interview with Fortune.“I didn’t want anyone to shoot me in the back or anything after the first day, because we really messed up.
“We had no idea we would get this kind of response,” he joked.Morrell said he got the money from the money he was going to use to buy his wife a fur coat. “She still looks at me like I’m stupid,” he said. “But I thought it was worth it. They worked so hard. They were so exhausted.”
“Thank you, Luigi.”
Every time Morell’s “kindness” story goes viral, social media users thank Luigi Mangione for the fear he sowed among CEOs.
In 2024, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed, and Luigi Mangione was charged with murder, although he did not admit guilt.Commenting on Morell’s story, one person said: “At least he’s honest. Most CEOs only have pizza parties; this guy chose a different kind of insurance policy.” Another wrote: “Imagine being so rich that you can only pay for peace of mind while eating a burger. The American dream is truly prosperous.”
