The Recipients: Chuckburger

Photos by Emma Highfill, Rose Wheat Photography

Since reopening May 4, Chuckburger, a 65-year-old drive-thru, walk-up restaurant in East Topeka, has seen “lots of new faces and experienced the best five days of sales” in the 20 years that John Benedict has owned the establishment.

ON THE REBOUND

Benedict attributed the rebound to patrons still leery about dine-in options and the HOST (Helping Others Support Topeka) program, which purchased $3,000 in Chuckburger gift cards this spring.

Born and raised in Topeka and a 1991 Highland Park High School graduate, Benedict’s wide-ranging clientele at Topeka’s first drive-thru includes former classmates and their kids.

“Now I’m getting lots of new customers using HOST gift cards and these people may become lifelong fans too,” he said.

As a drive-thru restaurant, Benedict said he didn’t need to close for several weeks this spring but safety for his family and his six employees prompted him to do so. He was also concerned about his team’s financial well- being since no one knew how long the stay-at-home order would last. He secured funds from the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program an}d gave employees bonuses from his personal savings “to keep everyone together.”

KEPT AFLOAT BY HOST

An additional $3,000 grant from the HOST 2 program came in handy as supply costs “skyrocketed.”

“Meat and cheese prices went up and we encountered new hurdles in making sure we had Lysol and toilet paper in stock,” said Benedict. “The price of nitrile gloves went from 4 cents to 15 cents each, which is a
big hike when you buy them by the thousands.”

With all supplies secured and a reopening date set, Benedict and his team listened to all the restaurant’s answering machine messages and returned each call.

“People were excited to hear our plans,” he said.

Although Chuckburger took a financial hit this spring, Benedict credited the HOST gift card and grant programs for keeping his business and hopes for reopening afloat.

“It’s great that the HOST programs were created locally by people stepping up, and donor efforts made a big difference for me and other small businesses,” said Benedict, who plans to become a donor too. “This is just another example of why I’m proud to call Topeka home.”

Chuckburger’s most popular option is a No. 1 (a cheeseburger, fries and a 20-ounce drink for $6) but the restaurant’s hand-scooped malts and shakes, fried green beans, fried mushrooms and fried sweet potato fries are also customer favorites.

“Everything we make is fresh and worth the wait,” said Benedict. “Our slogan is ‘get chucked up,’ and } there’s no better time to do it. We’re grateful to still be here.”