Officials gathered this morning at 89 Plaistow Road on the Haverhill/Plaistow, N.H., border to dig ceremonial shovels into the earth near where a foundation has been poured for a new Five Guys restaurant.
A new $5 million complex of four restaurants is coming to the Haverhill/Plaistow, N.H. border.
A groundbreaking ceremony took place this morning for the first of the four—Five Guys, a Virginia-based chain serving hot dogs, burgers and sandwiches in a casual environment. Coming next, and already permitted by the Conservation Commission, is Kobe Japanese Steakhouse. Stephen Stapinski of Merrimack Engineering explained the allure of the Plaistow Road, route 125, location.
“The meals tax in Massachusetts is lower than New Hampshire so that is a big factor for all of the restaurants locating in the corridor,” Stapinski said.
The multi-million-dollar project is being financed by Lowell Five, which has a branch in Haverhill. Part of the parcel extends into New Hampshire and may be developed separately in the future, Stapinski said.
Dedham-based broker Jim Conviser said there are other benefits for Five Guys, in particular.
“Route 125 is a heavily trafficked road and it is underserved by fast food of this kind of quality. There’s Taco Bell, Burger King and McDonald’s, but there’s no better options. Five Guys is a better option,” he said.
Stapinski credited Haverhill for being business friendly. “Haverhill is very welcoming to business. Haverhill wants business. Haverhill knows that a commercial development doesn’t have kids in school, doesn’t use a lot of services. They pay for their own services and they pay a higher tax rate.”
Mayor James J. Fiorentini said Haverhill is becoming well known for its dining options.
“This is our second restaurant zone in Haverhill. Downtown is the other one. Our second restaurant zone is booming. We’re really thrilled to see Five Guys come in. I’m a vegetarian, but I still welcome Five Guys. They have a great vegetarian burger, and we’re looking forward to other restaurants coming in here,” the mayor said.
I applaud Five Guys for opening on the Haverhill side. They could have moved further up the street and paid their employees less.
Hey a new low end restaurant and we didn’t even need to tear down a historic church to do it.
Yeah Hows that Asian Bistro gonna do over in Riverside … see ya in 6 months
What does one have to do with the other? They’re at opposite ends of the city. From your past comments it is easy to see that you want to see businesses fail before their doors even open. Why is that?
How about hiring more cops, paying cops more and cleaning things up so we can attract more than 5 guys and crappy strip malls where bums hang out to scratch lottery tickets. Speaking of “dining” in Haverhill town, somebody tell A1 and that sandwich shop to take down those stupid jersey barriers. Eye sores. Lovely outdoor dining. Lol.