Lewes Five Guys to stay open

The local franchise owner of the Five Guys hamburger chain has closed the eateries in downtown Rehoboth Beach and downtown Bethany Beach — but the Lewes-area location on Route 1 will remain open, at least for now.

"We have no plans to close," employee Phil Schap said of the Route 1 business.

Owner Jim Dudine opened the Bethany location in 2004; the other locations followed over the next few years. The Rehoboth and Bethany stores were already closed for the winter because business was slow, but they originally had been expected to reopen before summer, employees said.

Dudine would not comment on the store closings. Two locations in Ocean City, Md., have separate franchise owners and will not close. The Arlington, Va.-based company has more than 750 locations in the United States and Canada, and franchises recently opened in California and Oregon.