A little seasonal sandwich shop next to the exhibit hall is all it was—until the Sheraton Chicago refurbished the exhibit hall, that is. Suddenly, it was one of those scrappy little houses that looks okay until the neighborhood improves around it.

“It’s a great location right next to the river,” says Menze Heroian, VP of F&B, Tishman Hotels. “They wanted to just do the same concept, but we thought we could do a lot better than that.”

So Heroian started researching. “I read about many concepts out there, and I started finding a lot about creating unique concepts with burger joints. During times like this, when people won’t drop a lot of money on specialty restaurants, the burger business is almost fail-safe.”

Heroian’s direct inspiration was a book that Sutter Home Winery publishes every year as part of its “Build a Better Burger” competition. “It’s a search for the best burger,” Heroian says. “Chefs get involved. I met with our chef, and we came up with this concept of five burgers: beef, turkey, fish, veggie, and shellfish (cioppino) with six cold and six hot toppings. Customers take the toppings and apply to any burger to create their own flavor combinations. Since we’re in Chicago, our internal brand for Tishman hotels became Chicago Burger Company.”

What could have become a nondescript outlet became a brand blazing with logoed nametags and disposable tableware under Heroian’s leadership. “We wanted to do everything, not just part of it. It really looks like a franchise we brought into the hotel. Why not? Hotel companies should create their own brands. When we install a chef-branded concept, we pay all those fees to the chef. Why not create a brand that’s really separate? We’re not marketing the name of the chef, but we’re marketing a unique concept and building a brand.”

HAVE IT YOUR WAY
It’s a burger boost for generations raised on “have it your way,” says Heroian. “People create their own menu, textures, and flavors. It’s their choice; they can eat heavy or light. We’re doing custom sodas like Stewart’s, along with traditional onion rings and fries. We do themes, such as a monthly special burger that the chef creates.” They sell beer and wine, and in the summer, spiked milkshakes are a big hit. Next up will be a foot-long Chicago dog.

Chicago Burger Company offers a vegetarian burger and a new salmon burger in place of the original shellfish, although 80 percent of what sells is traditional beef. And, despite haute steakhouse horror, most people order that burger well-done. “Talk all you want about medium-well, but that’s the reality. With burgers, we found a well-done burger dries out. So every patty has its own recipe, in addition to the toppings, to enhance the flavors. But we’re keeping it traditional with seasoning, just salt and pepper. Ground chuck is a good fat; that’s where the flavor is,” Heroian says.

The concept gets a complete work-through. “We do salads and nachos with a crumbled patty on top. We even have a burger soup.”

Revenue doubled almost immediately after launching the concept. “It is very successful,” says Heroian. “Then we opened up another Chicago Burger Company in Puerto Rico, right where the cruise ships dock. It’s open to a lot of traffic. Both locations have al fresco dining. It’s more seasonal in Chicago, May to early October, with good traffic on weekends as people watch the tour boats go by.”

GOOD ALTERNATIVE
Many hotels have just a three-meal restaurant, but Heroian says this is a good alternative to that, because people can have a burger all day. Chicago Burger Company closes at 7 p.m. because there are many other restaurants nearby. The Puerto Rico location is open until 11 p.m. for the cruise ship traffic.

The casual concept is steering clear of the economic storm. “People are spending less, but we’re still doing well,” says Heroian. “Casuals are up. People aren’t buying wine or an appetizer, or they’re moving down to a casual restaurant. We’ve built up local guests. The only thing affecting us here is the cold weather. When we have the exhibit hall open, it’s very busy.”

The concept was built almost entirely at the property level. Corporate got involved with the design of the restaurant. Heroian created the menu and figured out the operational components. And its success points to the power of robust internal F&B.

John Paul Boukis helped develop the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s publishing division and is a founding editor of HOTEL F&B. He is based in Tampa.