Elevating the all-American burger to its purest form is the inspiration for Meatheads, which just celebrated its second anniversary in Willowbrook.
"Everything Meatheads serves is natural, fresh, all made to order — something mom or grandma would make," says Joe Sanders of Roselle, marketing manager for the Illinois-based restaurant group.
He notes that no frozen products are used, except the ice cream featured in old-fashioned, hand-dipped shakes.
While the menu includes grilled chicken and other items, the focus is on fries and signature burgers made from 100-percent Angus chuck.
President Lyn Devorkin says their specific cut of beef is leaner and easier to digest, and is a far cry from the original burgers popularized in New York in the 1950s that were made with leftover scraps. She says Meatheads uses no engineered products or chemical additives.
But the restaurant does have food preparation down to a science, undertaking a 32-step process to produce fries from Idaho potatoes.
"It's simple, fresh potatoes cooked in 100-percent canola oil," Sanders says. "We're not putting them under a heat lamp. You order it, and we make it right then."
He says popular burgers include the Texas Ranch featuring bacon, cheddar and bacon ranch sauce. Another hit is the Cajun Sunrise with fried egg, jalapeño, pepper jack, bacon and bleu cheese sauce.
Other sauces, all prepared in-house, include buffalo ranch and cucumber wasabi.
It's not overly hot, says Sanders of the latter, adding, "the cucumber balances out the spice."
The fast-casual restaurant's Coca-Cola Freestyle machines let patrons customize their drinks from a multitude of flavors. The restaurant is decorated in earth tones and rich wood accents, with seating at booths and tables.
Sanders outlines company initiatives that reach out to the community.
"We have a voracious readers program," he says. "We reward kids with big appetites for reading. A Meathead of the Month program rewards student athletes' determination, hustle and hard work."
One wall tracks the scores of high school sports teams, and high school students are offered a free-soft-drink incentive.
A fan of Meatheads is Jeff Waggoner of Clarendon Hills, who'd like more people to know about the menu.
"They do everything very fresh," he says, noting he's partial to the cheeseburger prepared with provolone, but it's the french fries that draw him. "It's a guilty pleasure."
Meatheads' curbside pickup service also lets customers call or fax in orders.
"You pull up, and we run out with the food, and we have a scanner for credit cards, so you don't have to get out of your car," says Sanders. "We try to make it easy."
WHAT TO TRY
ITEM Hawaiian burger and regular fries
PRICE $6.50 and $2, respectively
ITEM Cajun Sunrise burger and regular fries
PRICE $6.50 and $2, respectively
ITEM Chili cheese fries with onion, jalapeño
PRICE $5
ITEM Californian burger
PRICE $6.50
Meatheads
ADDRESS 7137 S. Kingery Highway, Willowbrook
CONTACT (630) 325-6608, meatheadsburgers.com