American burger giant Five Guys is to open their first Manchester restaurant.

The company, famed in the US for its huge juicy burgers, has snapped up a site at the intu Trafford Centre which will be its first UK eatery in the north.

With its distinctive red and white retro diner branding, the venue is set to make a big impression when it opens at a prime site at the entrance to The Great Hall food court area in the shopping mall.

Ironically, they’re taking over the 4,000 sq ft unit formerly occupied by Mediterranean restaurant Saffran - which specialised in healthy dishes and had run a series of healthy eating campaigns.

Five Guys will instead be feeding Manchester’s seemingly ever-growing appetite for big burgers. They offer a simple menu of burgers, hot dogs and fries, and are known for allowing customers to choose as many 'free' toppings on burgers as they want, and reckon there are some 250,000 combinations.

See the gallery below for images of Five Guys in Reading and Islington...

Bosses are now planning a major refit of the site, which is planned to be complete by mid-April.

The burger joint was first launched as a family-run venture by the Murrell brothers in Washington in 1986 and has seen a rapid expansion with 1,000 eateries worldwide.

General manager of intu Trafford Centre Richard Paxton said: “This is a very exciting new signing for us, and we’re delighted to welcome such a vibrant and on-trend restaurant to join our mix.

“Five Guys is currently the most talked about burger brand in the world online, and the fastest growing chain in the US and has already made a huge impact in London. What it offers is simple and authentic, and a refreshing change from the norm. The brand has almost a cult following in the US, and we are confident that the discerning diners of Manchester will be quick to embrace the Five Guys concept.”