While the downtown Naperville has seen its share of business turnover, the culinary landscape is experiencing a savory uptick with Epic Burger planting its flag in the city. Coinciding with the departure of Firecakes Donuts, the beloved doughnut shop that had to shut down after three years, Epic Burger opened its ninth Chicago-area location. "We really care about serving a quality product," CEO David Grossman proudly proclaimed, a sentiment reflected in the chain's ethos of offering "a more mindful burger" with a commitment to non-processed, all natural ingredients, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Epic Burger isn't just expanding rapidly across the Chi-Town landscape; it is also aiming to truly embed itself in the fabric of each community it serves. As part of their Naperville initiation, the restaurant hosted celebratory events, complete with free samples and prize raffles, emphasizing their invite to "come on in," to check out the new spot. While Firecakes' parting message was one of gratitude to patronage over their tenure in the area, it didn't take long for Epic Burger to start to ambitiously fill the void, already looking to convert and absorb the former Meatheads Burgers locations into its expanding domain. Grossman's vision, as he shared, is boundlessly ambitious, intending to "want, like, 300 Epics out across the country."

In a heartwarming hometown twist, Grossman, a native of Northbrook, chose his own stomping grounds as the fertile ground for Epic Burger's most recent opening before Naperville. Northbrook welcomed the new spot with open arms and an appetite, ready to devour $2 Classic burgers among other tantalizing offerings. "The Northbrook business community is very tight and very involved," Grossman expressed with local pride, further emphasizing the strong connections to hometown roots and a desire for community engagement. Beyond the mouthwatering burgers, the special day was dressed with giveaways, including sports tickets and a chance to win Epic swag, Patch reports.

Epic Burger stands out from the crowd not only with its high-quality ingredients but also with an energy-efficient restaurant design and environmentally conscious practices like using biodegradable packaging. Grossman's commitment to sustainability and community involvement speaks to Epic's foundational values as much as its ingredients do. As for expansion, the Midwest may soon get to increasingly savor this Chicago-born burger concept with Grossman sighting Rockford, Jolliet, and other cities for potential new Epic Burger locations. Each restaurant seems to be a stepping stone toward the grand aim of spreading the Epic Burger ethos across the nation while still ensuring to build and nurture local ties in the Chicago area.