Beefaroo Has New Owners; What it Could Mean For Rockford Residents

When I saw "New owners could make Beefaroo a household name nationwide"  this morning from the Rockford Register Star mentioning our beloved Beefaroo had been sold, I held my breath for a minute.

I can't tell you much more than that because soon after reading the headline I got hit by a glorious paywall.

Anyway, it appears the new owners of the Beefaroo restaurants are hoping to expand and take it outside of the Rockford area. We know that they are planning to or already have opened a new restaurant in Suburban Chicago West Dundee, but don't forget there was once a Beefaroo in Sterling.

Notice I said that in the past tense? There was a Beefaroo in Sterling. It closed a while ago, and to this day when I drive by it still surprises me that it failed.

However, it may have closed up because Beefaroo is Rockford. It's an institution, a tradition. Meaning, it's something we get and on a more grand scale, I fear folks from Rockford just won't, and taking the restaurants outside of the area could be met with mixed results.

The failure of Beefaroo nationwide could mean closures, including locations in Rockford and I'd hate to see that happen.

Then again, we could be looking at the next big franchise. I mean, McDonald's got its start in Illinois and is the biggest fast-food chain in the world. Who knows, maybe Beefaroo is next?

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Sweet Lenny is the brand manager of 97ZOK, Q98.5, and Operations Manager for Townsquare Media Rockford. Catch him afternoons 3 to 7 on 97ZOK. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and like his page on Facebook.