It’s not often that the founder of a growing fast-casual chain evokes family dining in describing his concept, but Meatheads founder and CEO Tom Jednorowicz does.
“We’ve really gravitated to a fast-casual version of a family restaurant,” Jednorowicz said. “I grew up in the Northeast. When I was growing up, we went to Friendly’s. They served multiple purposes. You’d go out with your family. You’d meet your friends there and get shakes.
Meatheads is a 16-unit better burger concept based in the Chicago area. With so many chains competing for consumers looking for premium burgers, the company has grown by emphasizing service.
“We’re a modern version of what Friendly’s was in the late 1970s and ’80s,” Jednorowicz said.
Meatheads’ service includes what Jednorowicz calls “many little nuances,” which give the chain a strong reputation for its customer care. Meatheads is still counter service, “so they [customers] don’t feel the need to pay a tip,” he says.
Once customers order, Meatheads ramps up its service.
“From the time the transaction ends to the time they leave the restaurant, we want it to feel like a full-service restaurant,” Jednorowicz said.
That includes seating customers, especially during busy times. Jednorowicz noted that many customers of busy fast-casual concepts will wait for seats to free up, which makes for an uncomfortable atmosphere for both the party waiting and those who are seated. At Meatheads, an “advocate” seats customers.
Additionally, if a parent visits with a baby or toddler, the staff is trained to offer a high chair or booster seat and set it up at a table for that party.
“The most stressful thing parents do with their young children is take them on a plane,” Jednorowicz said. “The next most stressful thing is to take them out to eat.”
He cited Meatheads’ service as one reason the company’s customer base is 50–50 male to female.
The chain’s service-oriented approach also includes something of a rarity in the limited-service world: no upselling.
Jednorowicz said the no-upselling rule makes it difficult to bring someone in from another restaurant chain to work the counter at Meatheads. But the simple reason for not upselling is that it risks driving the check average too high, which might keep some customers away, he said.
“If it gets too high, I lose frequency, and I want them to come once a week or more often,” he said.
Jednorowicz was formerly chief development officer at Potbelly Corp., and helped that chain grow to more than 100 units. He left in 2006 to venture out on his own, but “without any clear direction.”
“I spent a year bouncing around the country, looking at different things,” he said.
He ultimately decided to open a pizza or burger concept. In 2007, his business partner, Douglas Reichl — founder of Tartan Realty Group — suggested that he open a restaurant at a location he had in Bloomington, Ill. Jednorowicz decided it would be a burger concept, and Meatheads was born.
Meatheads has a broader menu, with chicken sandwiches, hot dogs and salads on its menu, as well as sandwiches like the Cajun Sunrise with fried egg, bacon, pepper jack cheese, bleu cheese sauce, lettuce, tomatoes and jalapenos.
The company also has regular, limited-time offers, such as a Fiesta Burger with Nacho Fries and a Mediterranean Burger with a Greek Salad.
“We’re bringing in new, fun things to keep the concept fresh from a customer’s perspective,” Jednorowicz said. “You can go stale if you tread water too long.”
Another key element is maintaining a culture that emphasizes its people and keeps them engaged, Jednorowicz said. The business has a turnover rate of 25 percent.
“When your people are engaged, then you have consistency in the restaurant,” he said. “Employee retention is a big deal. It often gets overlooked.”
It also appears to keep the company relevant, despite growing competition. Since the Meatheads got its start, national better-burger chains have emerged and moved into its markets.
Five Guys Burgers and Fries moved into one of the company’s markets in Northbrook, Ill. Five Guys came in “with a lot of fanfare,” Jednorowicz said. “They opened, and I’m bracing for, minimally, a 10-percent decline.”
Instead, he said, Meatheads’ performance was flat. The next month it rose 15 percent, and again, in the months after that, it peaked at a 30-percent sales spike. He suggested that Five Guys’ opening actually helped his restaurant by getting people interested in better burgers, and driving them through the doors.
“The same thing happened with Smashburger in Bloomington,” he said. “Actually, that’s happened quite a bit.”
For now, Jednorowicz plans to keep Meatheads regional. The company has some locations in Indiana just outside Chicago, and is looking at opportunities in Madison, Wis. But it is focused on gradually expanding its reach.
“We’ve been approached a zillion times about taking the brand everywhere from the Middle East to Asia,” he said. “But we’re not in a hurry. We’re not about trying to be the biggest. It’s about trying to be the best.”
This story has been updated to reflect the following correction:
Correction: April 17, 2015: A previous version of this story misidentified Tom Jednorowicz.
Contact Jonathan Maze at [email protected]
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