:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/LJFQAHAJLIBEWKNJMRLSDXPD44.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/2OG5GT5IOVM6SU6T4JKRM5Q3IY.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/A6OI774ECDMIC3WDZGYHXMHY5E.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/G3DHJ4244WIZHQPYVUGO2UDLAM.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/C3NSTX7ZLKBUJHJIB4FBU3FBN4.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/ZNJ3XZJS5FXG4LRZGXLXMXIJ4Y.jpg)
ST CHARLES – After successfully changing perspectives about gas station food, the new restaurant concept Urban Counter still is growing and has opened a location in St. Charles.
The new location sits right next to The PRIDE BP gas station. There are four other Urban Counters in Aurora, Wheaton, Hinsdale and Chicago. The new addition in St. Charles came with trying to get more businesses in the area, according to Mario Spina, CEO of The PRIDE Stores Inc.
“We know we have a really loyal customer base, and we thought the Urban Counter concept would go very, very well there,” Spina said. “We decided to purchase the lot next door, which was the previous ... car wash and put a free-standing building there and to put the Urban Counter on the end cap so we could have outdoor seating and be very visible from the station, and we just knew the customers in St. Charles would love it.”
Corporate Chef Adrian Ion created the menu and is also behind Taco Urbano in Batavia, a restaurant inside The PRIDE of BP. One of Ion’s main areas of focus was to make sure the food was fresh and of high quality, Spina said.
“We really wanted to add restaurants to our locations, and just didn’t want to do the typical offering, you know, something pre-made,” Spina said. “We wanted something a little different, had high quality, fresh, made-to-order food where people would come into a gas station and kinda be shocked at the quality of product that they’re getting.”
The St. Charles location is a little different from other stores and has a more industrial look and old-school feel, according to Spina. With the restaurant being separate from the gas station, it gave them more freedom to design it how they wanted. Spina acknowledged that the Urban Counter in Chicago, located on Roosevelt Road and Wabash Avenue down from Soldier Field, was ranked by thrilllist.com as the best burger option at the Red Line (South) Roosevelt L stop.
“It was pretty cool,” Spina said. “Especially considering we didn’t even know about it until somebody told us about it. And there’s a Smashburger in that area; there’s a Five Guys. There’s a lot of local bars that are known for their burgers, and they chose Urban Counter, and that’s kinda what we’re going for.”
The restaurant’s most popular items are their made-to-order burgers, salads and breakfast sandwiches, Spina said. The St. Charles location will feature other things that aren’t at other locations, including wings, tator tots, four craft beers on draft and two wines.
Urban Counter has brought in a lot of customers so far, and already has some regulars, including the employees at nearby Suburban Tire. Four of them were sitting outside of the restaurant and explained that the price is right and the food is of good quality. One employee of Suburban Tire, Nathan Leffler, has been eating at Urban Counter since it opened.
“It’s right next door ... and it’s got good food,” Leffler said. “In the morning I usually get a breakfast sandwich on a croissant – ham cheese and an egg – for lunch I usually get a bacon burger.”
His co-workers explained that he has eaten at Urban Counter “probably 20 times.”
Since The PRIDE group also owns The PRIDE beer and wine store next door to the St. Charles Urban Counter location, Spina said they would like to tie in the liquor store to the Urban Counter restaurant in the future, but for now are just hoping to make it a positive experience for everyone that walks in the door.
“I think when you go in and try the food, I think you’re gonna get a real appreciation for what we’re trying to do,” Spina said. “Everything is fresh and made-to-order. It’s high-quality ingredients; it’s just really, really good. We’re really excited to get this one open and get it rolling because I think people in St. Charles are really gonna love it.”
The St. Charles Urban Counter is located at 1820 Bricher Road and is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m Monday through Friday and 11 a.m to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
For information on St. Charles Urban Counter and other Urban Counter locations, visit www.urban-counter.com or call 630-402-0470.