Meatheads Burgers & Fries will open the company’s 12th restaurant at 11 a.m. this Monday, July 22nd, in Barrington. They took great care in hiring and training about 30 new employees from the area to run Barrington’s restaurant and have been working overtime to prepare them for Monday’s grand opening.

They’re cooking up a storm over at Meatheads Barrington as we speak to get ready for Monday’s first customers at their new location, 500 N. Hough Street, right next door to Heinen’s Fine Foods. They’ll be serving their food to close to 1,500 guests this weekend who signed up in advance for Meatheads pre-opening events benefiting local causes.

Meatheads has been training the new Barrington staff at the restaurant all week and Marketing Director Joe Sanders says the company is very careful about who they hire. “We really need our staff to have a certain inherent likeability and to have a tremendous work ethic because what really makes Meatheads unique is our culture and our staff in the way that we treat our customers and ingrain ourselves into the community.”

Joe Sanders shared more about what Meatheads is all about when he gave us a tour of the restaurant during their preparations this week. We started at the digital Coca-Cola Freestyle machine which allows you to choose from over 120 different flavors with the push of a button.

“If you go to Coke, you could get cherry, orange, vanilla, raspberry, lime or cherry vanilla, for example. Or if you want to get a Diet Sprite, it could be peach, grape, raspberry, vanilla and all flavors are built right into the machines.”

To keep things simple, Meatheads only offers one size drink along with a cooler of non-carbonated beverages. And Joe says you’ll notice that same streamlined and efficient approach across the board when you step up to the counter to place your order.

“When you come in, you basically have four major categories to choose from; 100% Certified Angus Beef burgers, chicken, hot dogs and kids meals.”

“We keep it very simple. The toppings are all right there for you to read and choose from and most of them are free. We have everything from giardiniera to pineapple to sauerkraut and sautéed mushrooms. We also have some signature sauces like our Bacon Ranch and our Cucumber Wasabi. And then we have things like applewood smoked bacon or you could put a fried egg on your burger.”

Joe says Meatheads chicken tenders are hand-breaded and made-to-order and their New England Style hot dogs, served on a split-top, toasted bun, are a huge hit with kids.

And if you’d like to try one of their chef-inspired sandwiches, there are some creative options on the menu that’ll make your mouth water, like their Texas Ranch, Cajun Sunrise and Hawaiian burgers which are made with your choice of 1/3 pound Certified Angus Beef, grilled or crispy chicken.

They also have a BLT sandwich plus they feature an ALT (Avocado, Lettuce and Tomato), veggie melt and a brand new chopped wedge salad for vegetarian options. Their hand-cut french fries are made fresh in-house daily. Joe says there’s no microwave at Meatheads and the only thing frozen is the ice cream used for making their hand-dipped milkshakes.

“We’ve designed our menu with our customer in mind. Our whole purpose here is to help customers know exactly what we have so they can get exactly what they want.”

From Meatheads’ high quality, all-wood tables and clean decor to their immaculate kitchen and dining room to the friendly staff and fun atmosphere, Joe says they pay close attention to detail on purpose to make sure guests have remarkable experiences each time they visit.

He also says they go out of their way to create an environment that’s friendly for families and parents with kids, offering temporary tattoos and wikki stix kids crafting toys to keep little ones entertained during your visit. “We’ll clear your table for you, we’ll refill your drinks for you, we take care of everything.”

“We like to think of Meatheads as sort of an oasis for families. You can come in and know that there’s something for everyone in the family on our menu.” Plus, they offer free wi-fi, if you’d like to drop by for a working lunch or have access the internet while dining with colleagues.”

You’ll find Meatheads Burgers at 500 N. Hough Street in Barrington, right next door to Heinen’s at the Shops at Flint Creek.
Starting Monday, the summer hours at Meatheads will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily so you’ll have plenty of time to check out the new restaurant for yourself. And they WILL be offering drive-thru service, but not until sometime this fall!
Stay tuned for more coverage about Meatheads Grand Opening on Monday here at 365Barrington.com. In that piece, we’ll go beyond the menu and take a closer look at the many programs Meatheads hosts to get involved with and give back to the community.
We’re excited to welcome Meatheads Burgers & Fries as the newest member to join our Barrington Online Marketplace…
For more information about Meatheads Burgers & Fries, CLICK HERE to follow them on Facebook or visit their website at MeatheadsBurgers.com.
To follow the latest local businesses to join our Marketplace, sign up at 365Barrington.com/Buzz. And if you’d like to become a featured member of our Marketplace, visit 365Barrington.com/advertise.
