Five Guys® Burgers and Fries plans to open its first Leesburg restaurant on April 15. The 25-year old Lorton, Virginia-based chain has expanded across the country since it first began franchising its operations in 2003 and now has a national footprint that includes over 1,000 locations in 47 states and 1,500 units in development. That rapid expansion somehow bypassed Leesburg. Until now. Five Guys, which opened its first location in 1986 in Arlington, Virginia and almost immediately developed a devoted, cult-like following, is scheduled to open a 3,200-square foot company-owned restaurant to be located in the Battlefield Shopping Center. The location is slightly larger than the 2,000 to 3,000 square foot range that typifies most Five Guys restaurants. The April 15 opening may provide a timely diversion for late tax filers after they finish their business at Liberty Tax Service, which is just a couple of doors away in the same shopping center. There will be no “Grand Opening” after the new Leesburg Five Guys starts serving customers. The fast casual chain likes to open quietly, according to Molly Catalano, Five Guys’ communications director, to ensure that employees are fully trained before things get too busy. But, with its hard-core fans, Five Guys may find it difficult to keep the first day of business for the Leesburg unit under the radar. Don’t worry about finding a seat though: the new restaurant seats 121 customers. If you’re thinking about starting your own Five Guys franchise, you need to hold your breath. All territories in the U.S. are reserved and, says Catalano, your only opportunity to get in on the action may be if an existing franchisee wants to sell one or more units. Five Guys’ local footprint will soon expand as a company-owned unit in the Potomac run Shopping Center in Sterling is scheduled to open in September. The company is privately owned and has no current plans to become a publicly traded company, although they get frequent inquiries about going public, according to the company’s website. Five Guys gets its name from Founders Jerry and Janie Murrell’s five sons who are all active in running the chain.