Meatheads, a Chicago-based fast-casual family restaurant, will open its first company-designed freestanding restaurant at 11 a.m. on October 9 at 6734 North Lincoln Avenue in Lincolnwood, Illinois. This is the company’s 13th location. All profits from pre-opening meals will support parent teacher associations at three local elementary schools, as well as Friends of the Lincolnwood Community Center and Chicago Bulldogs Hockey.
As a result of new construction, the Lincolnwood restaurant reportedly provided an opportunity to create a brand essence from the exterior to the interior through design and architectural features. Though Meatheads is typically located in high-end shopping centers as an end cap, this location is a 2,200 square foot stand alone building with a 700 square foot seating mezzanine and a covered patio space. Like other locations, the restaurant is near several schools, parks, and a public library.
“My real estate partner Doug Reichl, president of Tartan Realty Group, and I have been looking for a project that would combine our passions: food, real estate, architecture, and community service,” says Meatheads CEO and founder Tom Jednorowicz.
Although it took several years to transform the renderings to reality, the company wanted the design to properly reflect what the Meatheads brand has become since first opening in 2007.
“We wanted to create a space that could become a model for future standalone locations,” says Jednorowicz. “We maintained the family design elements seen in other our other restaurants, like the horseshoe booths and community murals, but we also included a few more modern elements like blending natural wood, masonry, and metal, that you’ll see on the exterior.”
The space features one community table and a specialized mural featuring the Lincolnwood community. The restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. for lunch and dinner.
The Meatheads menu includes Angus beef, chicken tenders, chicken sandwiches, a new wedge salad, veggie melts, grilled cheese, french fries cut and cooked daily, hand-dipped milkshakes, and New England Style Hot Dogs.
In line with the community programs at other Meatheads locations, the Lincolnwood restaurant will run its Meatheads of the Month recognition program to honor exceptional high school athletes; the Voracious Reading Program, which encourages as many as 100,000 kids to engage in summer reading; the Meathead of the Game program, which celebrates young athletes in organized sports; and On-Site Fundraising, which offers non-profit groups, schools, and other community organizations the opportunity to hold a fundraiser at a local Meatheads store.
As of September 2013, Meatheads donated more than $12,000 to local community organizations through On-Site Fundraising, including more than $5,000 donated to The Goulden Touch, Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould's public charity supporting education, social services, health and wellness, as well as medical research programs in Chicago.
