Franchise located in former Susan’s Coffee and Tea

Five Guys Burgers and Fries will open its newest location this week in Kent on Main Street, just in time to welcome students home from spring break.

The Five Guys location is familiar to Kent residents and students as it used to be Susan’s Coffee and Tea. Wholesome Burger, the exclusive franchisee of Five Guys, purchased the building after the coffee shop closed. Shortly after, Wholesome Burger co-CEOs Raji Sankar and Randhir Sethi hired Matthew Mikola as the new Five Guys general manager.

Mikola, a 2001 graduate of Kent State, has worked in the restaurant industry for the last 17 years, 11 of which he was a general manager for different restaurants, including Kent’s Bob Evans.

?“We’re really pleased to have him on board,” Sankar said. “His is just a fantastic story, too — a former Kent student now running the Five Guys. We’re very excited.”??

Mikola began his training at Five Guys in Mayfield while the Kent location underwent renovations. This past fall, DesignWise Construction Co. of Cleveland worked on the exterior renovations, such as the parking lot and exterior painting.?

In the winter the company started the interior renovations. People who frequented Susan’s Coffee and Tea might be surprised with the transformation.?

Red and white tiles line the walls — part of the Five Guys corporate look. Mikola said they had hoped to keep some of the original woodwork in the building, but the strict corporate rules for Five Guys appearance limited them to black, white and red.?

In all, Mikola said the renovations done by the DesignWise Construction Co. cost somewhere between $380,000 and 430,000.?

“It’s amazing, this transformation, and only in a matter of about four weeks,” he said.?

Mikola, who is in charge of all staff hiring, said of the 30 employees already hired, the majority of them are students. The atmosphere of the college town is something Sankar said he believes will help the business thrive.?

“We basically want to be all home run,” Sankar said. ??

Mikola said that in addition to his manager position there will also be several managers-in-charge that will be promoted up from store staff; something he says is unique to Five Guys.??

“We look for someone with not only the best personality but also the work ethic,” he said. “It’s a hundred percent standby. A lot of places say they have that, but we actually do.”??Mikola said he looks forward to the store’s opening and working with his new staff.??

Contact public affairs reporter Erin Dean at [email protected].