Meatheads Burgers & Fries
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fast casual restaurants |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder | Tom Jednorowicz, Doug Reichl |
| Defunct | 2024 |
| Fate | Acquired by Epic Burger; rebranded |
| Headquarters | Bloomington, Illinois , United States |
Area served | United States (Illinois and Chicago area) |
| Products | Hamburgers, fries, fast casual dining |
| Owner | Crave Brands, LLC (2019–2021) |
| Parent | Crave Brands, LLC (2019–2021) |
Meatheads Burgers & Fries—commonly referred to as Meatheads—was a fast-casual restaurant chain in the United States, focused on offering high-quality hamburgers and complementary menu items, headquartered in Illinois.
The company was established in 2007 in Bloomington, Illinois by Tom Jednorowicz, who previously held executive roles at Potbelly Sandwich Works and Einstein Bros. Bagels, alongside Doug Reichl, the founder of Tartan Realty Group. Meatheads rapidly became a favorite among students at Illinois State University and younger demographics. The brand broadened its reach into the Chicago area by 2009 and had grown to 17 locations by 2016, including a site near the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.
Operating within the expanding specialty burger segment, Meatheads set itself apart from rivals such as Five Guys and Smashburger by cooking customer fries fresh on location, adopting a method akin to that of the west-coast chain In-N-Out Burger. The company positioned itself as a "fast-casual" dining option rather than conventional fast food.
With annual sales reported near $5 million in 2011, Meatheads maintained full ownership of its outlets without engaging in franchising. The founders sold the enterprise to Crave Brands, LLC in 2019.
On April 9, 2021, both Meatheads and its parent company sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. By September 2023, Epic Burger acquired the remaining six outlets and initiated their transition into Epic Burger locations, beginning with the Northbrook store. As of July 2024, only two Meatheads restaurants were still operating before the complete rebranding process concluded.
External links
- 2007 establishments in Illinois
- Companies based in Bloomington–Normal
- Defunct hamburger restaurants
- Defunct restaurant chains in the United States
- Fast casual restaurants
- Hamburger restaurants in the United States
- Regional restaurant chains in the United States
- Restaurants established in 2007
- Restaurants in Illinois
- American companies established in 2007
- American companies disestablished in 2024
- Restaurants disestablished in 2024
- Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021