Burger King finds larger perch in St. Charles
It's like music to his ears when customers tell Bruno Hilgart they love his new Burger King on Randall Road in St. Charles.
Hilgart, the operations director at Burger King, managed the restaurant's recent move from its longtime location on Lincoln Highway near the Jewel. He was getting well-deserved positive feedback last weekend at the official grand opening.
The new restaurant draws you into yesteryear at the entrance with historic photos of St. Charles and Geneva landmarks and high school sports teams. But the dining area immediately lets you know this is Burger King, circa 2010 with current art, a digital menu board, flat screen TVs offering kids' fare, news and sports programming, a large kitchen and storage area, and 15 security cameras.
"We wanted to bring part of the past, but we also knew that people wanted modern, clean and upscale," Hilgart said.
Hilgart and his boss, owner Bill Gill, have been at the Burger King game for a long time in the Tri-Cities area, and the new restaurant stands like a crowning achievement for their efforts.
Knowing those sports: I know a thing or two about Geneva High School sports, having been around it as a sports writer since 1978.
But folks who know a lot more will be relaying stories at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Geneva History Center. That's when football announcer Kurt Wehrmeister; athletic director Jim Kafer; and retired coaches Jerry Auchstetter, Bob Schick and Bonnie Gardiner will conduct the Geneva Sports Roundtable Discussion that kicks off an upcoming exhibit called "Beyond The Score: Moments in Geneva Sports History."
I'll share my favorite story now: It occurred in the fall of 1983 when Geneva High School Sports Hall of Fame quarterback Jeff Cesarone was leading the Vikings in a game at Plainfield High School.
On a third-down play, Cesarone faded back into the pocket, but he didn't see a Plainfield safety coming on his blindside in an all-out blitz. Didn't matter. Cesarone was one of the strongest quarterbacks I had ever seen, and this poor kid from Plainfield hit him at full speed - but he came in high around Cesarone's big shoulders and went down like he hit a brick wall. Cesarone didn't flinch, and fired a bullet pass to a good slant receiver named Tim Hookham for a first down. I haven't seen anything quite like it since.
Living that history: If you go to see the World War II airplanes at DuPage Airport this weekend and you spot an older gentleman in the crowd, there's a good chance he was a World War II veteran with plenty of knowledge about the B-17, B-24 or P-51 Mustang on display.
I spent four hours chatting with a half dozen veterans last week when the planes were at Aurora Municipal Airport. I wished my father were still around to join in because he worked on airfield strips in the Philippines. He would have loved talking to guys who were on the planes and made it back from dangerous missions.
It's living history that is quickly fading. Don't pass up the chance to hear it.
dheun@sbcglobal.net