by Brent Hovey
Reporter
Aurora -- Remember those oldtime 1950s-themed diners that had good food, friendly service and cool memorabilia all over the walls?
Well, one just opened in Aurora and it is everything a '50s diner should be. Treichel's Grille opened in early May at Aurora Farms Premium Outlets.
It's a simple restaurant which owners Bob Treichel and Jim Hay hope makes people feel welcome.
"I want the customers to feel at home when they come here," said Treichel. "It's a friendly atmosphere, a family atmosphere."
Walking into the restaurant, a soda fountain bar greets the customers on the right and a hostess greets them straight ahead.
Looking around, the walls are covered with car-related materials like street signs, pictures, car parts and bigger items like traffic signals and a gas pump.
"It's all car stuff from the '20s, '30s, '40s and '50s that I collected myself," said Treichel.
The menu is reasonably priced and features appetizers, salads, sandwiches, wraps, chicken and milkshakes, but it is the burgers that are the specialty.
They are all half-pounders and there are six kinds, made from fresh ground beef and served on buns that are locally baked every day.
The burgers keep the theme of the restaurant going as each is named after a car -- like the '63 Split (a traditional hamburger) and Jim's GTO (a burger smothered in honey BBQ sauce and topped with American cheese, bacon and onion rings).
"WE JUST thought we wanted to keep the car theme going," said Treichel. "The pictures [on the menu] are cars either Jim or I have owned."
If a half-pound burger isn't enough for a customer, Treichel's offers the Monster Burger Challenge to see who can eat the biggest burger.
The menu reads "If you can top the reigning champ by 1/2 lb., that burger is named after you and will be placed on the menu forever."
It started at a 1 1/2-pound burger and since has been topped four times. The record, as of May 22, was a 3.5-pound burger.
"We thought it would be a good draw," Treichel said. "We had people come in with the second guy [who beat the record] and they were amused. That's a lot of food; you have to eat a half-pound of French fries, too, and it entertains people."
Record-setters also have their photo placed on the "Wall of Fame." Those who try and fail at breaking the record will have their photo go on the "Wall of Shame."
In the back of the restaurant, a bar and additional dining space opened May 23. In June, the eatery will begin to serve breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays.
"It's been fun," said Treichel. "It's a two-family operation and we've been friends for a long time and wanted to give it a shot."
E-mail:
bhovey@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3115