If you want it done right you gotta do it yourself. That sentence is Junior's in a nutshell. In 2004, Richard Minick Jr. found himself in his cubicle crunching numbers and wanting something more. "You gotta be your own boss" his father's mantra swimming through his head, Rich decided to do it...but do WHAT? A landscaping company, a lock shop, and property management were all options, but all it took was a boring burger at an impromptu lunch meeting for inspiration to hit! Just like making all of the tasty menu items by hand, Rich and his "Pop", Richard Sr, got out the hammer and nails and built Junior's Burgers & Shakes just they way the wanted it from the ground up. Junior & Senior, as they would eventually be known, worked for months building not only the walls of the restaurant, but the idea of the un-Burger joint.

Junior's Burgers & Shakes opened in the Johnstowne Center on the University of Illinois campus in the Summer of 2005. With a menu consisting of only Burgers, fries, milkshakes and Pepsi, Junior's took off like a rocket and started to soar! Our burgers won numerous local awards and we started looking for a way to reach not only customers in campustown, but all of Champaign - Urbana. In 2006, the restaurant moved across town and in with Cozy's Frozen Custard. Cozy's offered the only authentic Milwaukee frozen custard in the area. Like Junior's, Cozy's Custard operated a fun family friendly atmosphere with a focus on serving the best frozen treats in the area. Junior's & Cozy's was a match made in heaven. After a year of operating independently behind the same counter Junior and Senior bought out Cozy's to ensure the future growth of the restaurant. In July of 2010, the 2nd Junior's Burgers & Custard opened in Mahomet Illinois.

It has been said that if you can make a restaurant go in Champaign you can make it go anywhere, and that's our plan! With the addition of the Burger Bus we have the ability to test markets for future restaurant sites. Between Junior and Senior ideas are never in short supply. Keep checking back for updates on future plans!