5 Guys

A prominent demographic in Amsterdam is Five Guys. If one undertook a comprehensive survey of the central city, patterns of this unique group would begin to emerge.

Five Guys are, obviously, 5 individual guys, but for the purposes of this critical analysis they will primarily be considered in the collective while individual traits and character will be secondary. Initial observations from random encounters with Five Guys reveal the following:

• They are typically young EU white guys (Note: groups of 3, or 4 guys can sometimes be mistaken for Five Guys if one is observing in fast moving crowds). There are also other types of groups with 5 members (such as the 5 guys on rental bikes, below) but these are easily distinguishable from Five Guys 

• Five Guys are most often observed on busy streets (such as Haarlemmerstraat, or in the Red Light district)  
• They steadfastly remain a cohesive unit in crowded, chaotic conditions.
• They are focused and seemingly on a mission. They can be observed vectoring in on a red lit storefront window, or abruptly changing direction when upwind in the vicinity of a coffeeshop such as Barney's Farm on Haarlemmerstraat.

 

• It is difficult to determine their mission, but once obtained, the unit breaks down. It is unclear if Five Guys re-constitutes itself for another mission.