I don’t mean to overreact but Beefaroo is an actual gift from God
“Oh, hi there! Sorry, I was daydreaming about something. Huh? Oh nothing, just this place back home. They just have….really good cheese fries. You don’t dream about food?? Well I should bring you to Rockford sometime; I promise you’ll be dreaming about this place. What’s it called? You promise not to laugh? Beefaroo. Don’t look at me like that! It’s literally a slice of heaven on Earth. Drenched in cheese. With maybe a peppermint or a chocolate mint after eating—the point is….it’s so good. It’s so....so good.”
^ a typical response of mine to my friends, professors, roommates, etc. in regards to my weekly cravings for a Beefaroo bacon cheeseburger and small cheddar fry.
When Rockfordians talk about the local identity, they’re fast to mention sock monkeys and airplanes. Well, where are my Beefaroo lovers at?!
Running Rockford Proud, I search for travel articles about the Forest City. They can be an informal blog or a Convention and Visitor’s Bureau project. But you know what I don’t see enough of? The divine intervention that is Beefaroo.
I don’t think visitors know how important this local fast food religion is. Each Beefaroo has a theme! A theme! For breakfast I can get Beefaroo in the Northwoods. Lunch, maybe a stroll down 1950’s memory lane. Dinner? Definitely feeling some warehouse/factory vibes. And if that full day of Beefaroo doesn’t kill me (which it hasn’t because I have done it before and I am not ashamed), then I have four others in the area I’d gladly devour.
What is it about Beefaroo that makes me a believer in the Almighty? Is there a wrong answer? You don’t know good cheese fries until you know Beefaroo. Don’t get me wrong, I am so happy Portillo’s has finally made the right decision to set up shop here in Rockford. But don’t you for a second think this Beefaroo v. Portillo’s debate is necessary. Beefaroo wins. Done. Bam. Thank you.
You know why? Besides Beefaroo’s unbeatable, delicious cheddar fries, it’s also a family-run locally-owned chain that has called Rockford home for almost half a century. They are across the Rockford region so if you’re from around here and you haven’t had Beefaroo, I would be vehemently upset.
I’ve also been focusing too much on their cheese fries (because they’re so good) but I’ve ignored the meaty goodness that is a Beefaroo burger. My favorite is their bacon cheeseburger (What can I say, I’m easy to please), but their menu has so much more. Beefaroo has wraps, burgers, chicken, chicken salad, gourmet salads, soups!, onion rings!, baked potatoes, and so so so much more!
Guys I swear to the almighty Beefaroo god, I am not being paid to advertise this soul food. I just really….really like Beefaroo.
Though I love Beefaroo’s slogan (Famously delicious since 1967), I came up with a few of my own:
Beefaroo is the master of my fate. Beefaroo is the captain of my soul.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood. Both went to Beefaroo and I couldn’t be happier.
All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women are eating at Beefaroo.
O CAPTAIN! My Captain! Can you pull over there, I gotta get me some Beefaroo.
(Photo provided by @nintendoboyds)
