Jerry Murrell, the CEO of Five Guys, a fast-food chain, gave a $1.5 million bonus to employees across the stores. But the reason was not what one might have been expecting. The CEO was just scared and did not want to meet his ‘Luigi Mangione‘ anytime soon. Earlier this year, the CEO admitted frankly that his kindness was only to save his back and that he did not want to get shot.In February, Five Guys organized a two-for-one promotion to celebrate its 40th anniversary. They thought it would be just like another promotion but the response was unexpected. Their app crashed and many outlets had to withdraw the offer early.The storm followed them on social media. The company apologized and restarted the offer after a break. “You visited our restaurants in overwhelming numbers, and we weren’t ready for you. We didn’t meet our own standards, and that’s not something we take lightly. So we’re asking for a do-over,” one of the company’s statements read in March.The workers had to bear the brunt of the consumers’ frustration, and that’s when Murrell, 82, decided to write 1500 checks ($1000 per impacted store) to his employees, he said in an interview with Fortune.“I didn’t want anybody shooting me in the back or anything after the first day, because we really screwed it up. We had no idea that we were going to get that kind of response,” he joked.Murrell said he took the money from funds 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 overwhelmed.”
‘Thank you Luigi’
Everytime Murrell’s story of ‘kindness’ goes viral, social media users thank Luigi Mangione for the fear that he instilled among the CEOs. In 2024, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed and Luigi Mangione was charged with the murder, though he did not plead guilty.“At least he’s honest. Most CEOs just give pizza parties; this guy chose a different kind of ‘insurance’ policy,” one said, commenting on Murrell’s story. “Imagine being so rich that you can just pay for peace of mind while eating a burger. The American Dream is really thriving,” another wrote.
