BEHIND THE MENU
M ichael’s Grill & Salad Bar in Highland Park, Illinois, has been a local favorite since 1977, growing from an 800-square-foot hot dog stand to a 10,000-square-foot restaurant. It’s been a community gathering spot for generations of families, kids’ sports teams and neighbors who can’t get enough of the cheeseburgers, cheese fries and 60-ingredient salad bar, said current owner Ryan Gamperl. “Everybody comes here for the cheese fries,” he added. “The richness and creaminess of the cheese sauce is a differentiating factor.” Gamperl was purchasing the same melting cheese from the same supplier the previous owners had used for years. But one day last year, he was heating the cold pack product and noticed that it was burning, breaking up and becoming oily. “Unbeknown to us, the manufacturer had modified the recipe, and nine out of 10 orders were coming out ruined,” he said. That “downward spiral” as he calls it, propelled Gamperl to nearby Kenosha, Wisconsin, to huddle with some of the top cheese experts in the U.S. INTO THE CHEESE LAB … Kenosha’s Mars Cheese Castle is a landmark on the highway that goes from Illinois to Wisconsin—and a cheese-lov- er’s paradise. But along with a huge retail store and casual restaurant, the castle-like building also houses a lab to test A RESTAURANT'S CHEESE SAUCE MAKEOVER LEADS TO A RETAIL LINE BEHIND THE MENU: WHEN THE FAMOUS CHEESE FRIES AT MICHAEL’S GRILL & SALAD BAR WERE NOT TURNING OUT ACCORDING TO SPEC, OWNER RYAN GAMPERL CREATED A NEW PRODUCT TO BRING THEM BACK UP TO SPEED. BY PATRICIA COBE
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RESTAURANT BUSINESS JANUARY 2025
PHOTOS COURTESY: MICHAEL'S GRILL
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