Dennis Donfris, who has worked in restaurants from Sizzler to fine dining, wanted to break away from the typical pizza concept. So 12 years ago he opened Randall Roadhouse in Carpentersville with his sister, Diane Olson, and her husband, Rich.
Randall Roadhouse is a mix of “experience and my guys and family recipes and experimenting,” Donfris said.
“We try to stay creative,” he said, “by trying new things.”
The extensive menu does include pizza — “always a go-to; we’re known for our pizza” — but also other items such as nachos, pasta dishes, burgers, calzones and panzerottis. In addition, there are salads, sandwiches and wraps.
“We stick to our concept of good portions and quality. We’re pouring good drinks at a fair price,” said Donfris, of Lake in the Hills. “We’re a mix of neighborhood bar, restaurant and sports bar. We filled a niche here with good food and good atmosphere.”
Recent renovations and expansions, he added, have made the place more family-friendly.
“We’re very tiny, small towns around here, and we handle deliveries from 11 different towns,” Donfris said. “That puts us in a unique spot because very rarely will you see a restaurant serve that wide of an area.”
But as a graduate of Jacobs High School in Algonquin, Donfris knows what his customers want.
“We’re a pretty good mix,” he said. “Our demographic is a little bit older, middle-aged.”
Pricing: Appetizers from $4.25 for beer strips to $14.50 for veggie combo platter. Soup and chili from $3.50 for a cup to $5.95 for baked French onion soup. Salads from $7.25 for house to $10.95 for Buffalo chicken. Calzone or panzerotti for $12. Sandwiches from $6 for Chicago-style hot dog to $10.95 for grilled steak. Burgers from $9 for a build-your-own hamburger to $9.95 for “big Texan burger.” Pizza from $9.75 for traditional thin crust to $23 for Chicago-style. Specialty pizzas from $9.75 for white pizza to $40 for “the roadhouse.” Dinners from $10.95 for gyro platter to $23.95 for full-slab barbecue baby back ribs. Pasta from $10.95 for spaghetti to $14.95 for ziti with chicken or sausage. Steaks from $22.95 for filet mignon to $25.95 for king filet mignon. Kids’ meals for $6.75 from burgers to pasta. Catering available. Daily food and drink specials.
Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday-Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday.
Randall Roadhouse is at 2267 Randall Road, Carpentersville. Call 847-836-3300 or go to www.randallroadhouse.com.
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Shonda Talerico Dudlicek is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.