The EPIC Burger Chicago: More Than Just Beef
A truly great burger is many people’s idea of the perfect meal. You can customize it to be exactly what you want, thanks to almost any topping and condiment you can think of. You can eat it with your hands. You can eat it for pretty much any meal! What’s not to love?! We can’t think of anything better.
And no one loves burgers quite like the team at EPIC Burger, a Chicago company (yes, you read that right) for more than a decade. Didn’t know one of your favorite burgers comes from a local company? It’s probably not the only thing you don’t know about them!
For example, did you know that EPIC serves HALAL-certified beef and grilled chicken? Or Beyond Beef burgers and chicken tenders? Or that from 2-5PM on weekdays you can get their EPIC shakes (both their name and a description) for half off? Or that one of those milkshake options is dairy-free?! We could go on, but you get the idea.
The more you dig in at EPIC Burger (to their story, not their burgers, come on people!), the more there is to love. So to really get to the best they have to offer, we talked to President and CEO David Grossman as well as Director of Strategy Jonathan Hoover. They got down to delicious brass tax in truly EPIC fashion. Let’s dig in!
First things first; what makes your burgers truly EPIC?
It’s first and foremost because of the premium ingredients! The very best ingredients go into every burger, starting with HALAL-approved meat, fresh buns from TURANO Baking, and premium cheeses. There’s also nitrate-free bacon, and fresh veggies like lettuce, tomato, pickle, onions, and of course, our house recipe: EPIC SAUCE! Attention is paid to every bit of every meal.
But you have more than just the standard beef burgers! Tell us about your partnership with Beyond Meat.
We were one of the first restaurants to carry Beyond Beef products almost 10 years ago and the partnership has been fantastic ever since. Our Beyond Burger is one of our top sellers and represents nearly 30% of all sandwich sales. Seriously! We were thrilled when Beyond Beef came to us six months ago and asked if we once again wanted to be the first restaurant to carry their new Beyond Chicken Tender in Chicago. After we sampled and tasted, we immediately said YES! It’s going to blow Chicago foodies away! We love to offer variety and are so excited to be able to provide high quality, affordable food for all different diets and tastes.
Why was it important to expand your offerings with this and other menu updates?
We will always be a burger joint at heart, but we will also always listen to our guests and add items that meet with our core values and with customer demands.
Aside from burgers, for example, The Honey Hot Chicken Sandwich is a favorite. The grilled chicken is HALAL and marinated in a special dressing for 24 hours prior to us grilling and serving. It’s just one of the ways we are offering more options for diners with different tastes.
We may even add a hot dog one day if we find one that fits our criteria! We may add another veggie burger! You never know ;) We are adding onion rings soon for sure, and will continue to improve our menu as we see customers' eating habits change.
What is your personal dream order at EPIC?
Grossman: My go-to is The Farmhouse Burger because I love the addition of the egg. Then I add a side of Beyond Chicken Tenders and a lemon ice shake. That is a meal!
Hoover: My favorite is the Honey Hot Chicken Sandwich! Spicy 🌶, extra crispy and just so so good!
Do you all have anything fun coming up at EPIC?
We are considering a few fun ideas, but we can’t share all of our secrets!
One thing we ARE working on is the EPIC AF CHALLENGE, which will be a giant burger, wings, tenders, fries and more. If consumed in 30 min or less, the talented guest will get a gift card, a t-shirt and become part of our EPIC AF HALL OF FAME.
We only have one question left in that case: Where do we sign up?! 🍔
By Kaleigh Glaza | Market Editor