Article

Industry veterans to launch gourmet burger brand

Ed Rensi and Tom Dentice have nearly 100 years of combined restaurant industry experience. Now, the duo is taking what they've learned to Tom & Eddie's, a gourmet burger joint set to open in August.

July 25, 2010 by Valerie Killifer — senior editor, NetWorld Alliance

It’s been said that restaurant partnerships are akin to marriage. If that’s true, then Ed Rensi and Tom Dentice have one of the longest marriages in the industry.

The pair met in 1966 when they both worked as McDonald’s managers. Rensi ended his career there in 1998 when he retired as the company’s CEO, a position he held since 1984. Meanwhile, Dentice retired in 1997 as executive vice president.

The men worked at McDonald’s during the mid 1990’s rollout of the Arch Deluxe, a hamburger geared toward adults that many thought was before its time. Nearly 15 years later, the pair is set to open Tom & Eddie’s, a fast casual gourmet burger restaurant scheduled to open in Lombard, Ill., in August. (Click here to view a slideshow of the concept.)

Both have put their own money into developing the concept and have a third silent partner invested as well. And to research their core menu item they also visited “more than 100” burger concepts, eating their way through menu and concept development (Rensi said he gained 21 pounds during the period while Dentice gained 12).

Through that initial research, “we saw some things that came to be,” Rensi said. “Location was still as expensive as it ever was … But the compelling thing was recognition.”

The two also spent eight weeks using the kitchen at the College of DuPage Culinary Arts Center, in Glen Ellyn, Ill., as their own private dining room, pulling people off the street to sample the fare and working, in total, 640 hours serving meals. Overall, the pair served 1,200 entrees and 3,300 menu items.

Burgers that made it onto their new menu include Bushell & A Peck, featuring walnut butter, melted brie cheese, Granny Smith apple slices and caramelized red onions; Islander, with sliced avocado, nori, sushi-grade ahi tuna and fried wontons; and The Ampersand, applewood smoked bacon, smoked gouda cheese, BBQ sauce, haystack onions and a fried egg.

Other items on the menu include gourmet French fries, sweet potato fries, salads, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches and milkshakes.

For the beef, the men settled on Meyer Natural Angus, which is certified humane by the Humane Farm Animal Care program. They also will use the Spin Fresh, a centrifugal cooking system that uses a round fryer basket to automatically drain excess oil off of products. SpinFresh works much like a salad spinner and has been shown to reduce the oil content of fried items by 40 percent. The SpinFresh also received a 2010 NRA Show Kitchen Innovations Award.

The pair has put a lot of effort into the food, focusing on quality over price.

“If you’re a price buyer, you’ll never be able to sustain quality,” Rensi said.

Location

Rensi and Dentice plan to open three restaurants, each in very different demographic locations in the Chicago suburbs. The first location is in Yorktown Center, The Shops on Butterfield, a high-end retail shopping area. Tom & Eddie’s will go into a location formerly occupied by Boudin Bakery.

The first location has been designed at roughly 2,500 square feet, with extra space incorporated into it for a commissary.

“We’ve put a lot of detail into every essence of the restaurant,” Rensi said.

Tom & Eddie’s interior is more reflective of Panera Bread rather than the other usual burger chains. The first location will feature community tables made of old barn wood, a lounge area with a fireplace, and several banquets. Photos on the wall also will showcase their use of fresh ingredients, such as vine-ripened tomatoes, Puckered pickles and fresh brown eggs.

At the Yorktown location, the owners have plans to tie in marketing campaigns with surrounding restaurants. For example, one of Rensi’s favorite restaurants, D.O.C American Bistro & Wine Bar, has created a Tom & Eddie’s wine flight. And Rensi said Tom & Eddie’s will offer additional pairing alternatives based on beer and wine offerings to be served at the restaurant.

“We’re trying to create a gathering place,” Dentice said.

Both men view their foray into the gourmet business as a way to “put the band back together” and serve a customer base still craving a good burger.

“The Baby Boomers still want their hamburgers,” Rensi said. “It’s what we grew up with.”