MANHATTAN — A Greenwich Village location of Five Guys Burgers and Fries may soon make burger lovers even happier — by serving beer.
The 496 LaGuardia Place location of the chain has applied to the state Liquor Authority for permission to serve beer and wine, public records show.
Approval of the application would make the Village Five Guys the first of eight Manhattan locations to serve alcohol, a spokeswoman for the company's headquarters said. Only a handful of the restaurant's more than 750 nationwide locations serve alcohol, she said.
"It's very rare for Five Guys to serve alcohol," the spokeswoman said. "It just doesn't really fit our restaurant very well. We're not a bar. We're a fast, casual restaurant."
The LaGuardia Place franchise will need approval from headquarters, which they have not yet requested, to be able to serve alcohol, the spokeswoman said.
Franchise owner Andy Stern confirmed that a liquor license application is pending. State records show that the location had a license to serve beer and wine from August 2009 to July 2010, but Stern said it never actually sold it.
"We thought we were going to use [the license], but we were focused on just operating the store," Stern said.
Stern said he isn't sure yet what kind of beer and wine the burger joint would serve if the application is approved.
The state Liquor Authority licensing committee of Community Board 2 has been notified of Five Guys' application but has not yet voted on a recommendation for it, Community Coordinator Florence Arenas said.
In the meantime, customers at the 296 Bleecker Street Five Guys location in the West Village have reportedly found an unofficial way to combine burgers and beer — by taking their food to the sports bar upstairs.
Bleecker Heights Tavern is accessible only through a staircase at the back of Five Guys, according to New York Magazine.
Yelp commenters are in love with the combination.
"Ever been to a Five Guys and wished they had a bar? Well, look no further than the Five Guys on Bleecker Street," one commenter wrote.
"After you slam a burger and fries, walk past the counter towards the bathroom and turn left. You will see a set of stairs. Go up and you will find Bleecker Heights Tavern. JACKPOT!!"
Bleecker Heights Tavern was not immediately available to comment.
