Good Morning Family Restaurant, 116 Main St., West Chicago, IL 60185 (630.520.0742) Breakfast items $13-$20; Burgers $11.50-$13.50; Pancakes and French toast $7-$12.50; Skillets $13-$18.

Please note: Good Morning Family Restaurant was affected by a fire on May 19 – days after the final draft of this article was submitted. The Chronicle withheld publishing in the hopes the restaurant would reopen following renovations, but opted to release the article this August. We will update readers if and when the restaurant reopens.

The rays of sun lie gently across the street. A faint golden glow emanates from you as the sun bounces off into the bright blue ocean sky. School just started, but the hunger sure has not: thankfully, Good Morning Family has the solution. As the door swings open, the familiar aroma of food frying and the rattling of silverware accompanied by the hustle and bustle of waiters.

The waiters are quick, sitting my friend and me down at a table rather quickly upon our arrival. The small wood-stained tables are all lined up along the walls of the dining area with only a few bigger tables up at the front of the restaurant. The small tables can only accommodate four people each, while the few larger tables can fit 5-6 individuals. Despite looking small on the outside, there is plenty of space to walk around, though a good portion of the facility is taken by the kitchen.

The restaurant is also very clean – the only exceptions being the tables that are yet to be bussed. There are TVs near the entrance and in the back which display news stations, none of which stand out, but rather blend into the music playing in the background.

The menus themselves were pretty simple, displaying only the names of the items and their prices with some key ingredients on the bottom. The only decal on the menu is Good Morning Family’s logo up at the top, and a few images for different food categories.

On this occasion, we ordered a West Chicago Club Sandwich and the Barbecue Bacon Burger, alongside some simple beverages of lemonade. The restaurant was decently filled, as school let out early, meaning there was no lunch period and plenty of hungry students meandering about through the town in search of food. Despite this, the surrounding tables and overall ambiance of the restaurant was not too loud or distracting other than the occasional burst of laughter from other tables. After only around 10 minutes of waiting, our food finally arrived on two big plates and a side of chili and salad. The sides were free, but each drink had a price of $4.50.

Both of the main dishes were incredibly large in comparison to other stores and restaurants. The Barbecue Bacon Burger and sandwich were both huge, and required a full chomp just to get a bite. The fry portioning was also included in this super-size meal. There were so many fries that they were just piled onto each other using the sandwiches for support.

Starting with the West Chicago Club sandwich: putting its noticeable size aside, it is an interesting mix. There is a very large variety inside the sandwich: tomatoes, avocado, turkey, cheese, cheddar cheese, ham, bacon, and spicy honey mustard. However, do keep in mind that the sandwich costs $14.50 in total.

When taking a bite, the first thing that immediately hits the senses is the crunchy toasted bread that breaks apart in one’s mouth. Secondly, and most importantly, is the honey mustard sauce. Despite having a variety of ingredients in the sandwich, they are all masked under the honey mustard sauce. All of the meat products in the meal were hardly noticeable as they were overpowered by the texture and taste of the tomatoes, avocado, and sauce. The texture of these items combined left me questioning if the sandwich even contained the other half of the ingredients, even though they were visually present.

The fries for both meals were lightly salted and a good mix of having a crunchy exterior while maintaining its soft insides. These fries felt freshly made and cut compared to that of other restaurants or chains.

The Barbecue Bacon Burger boasted a massive patty of black Angus beef for its star ingredient. This patty was accompanied by American cheese, several strips of bacon and a very generous amount of barbecue sauce. This burger cost just a dollar more than the previous dish coming in at $15.50. Upon first bite, the burger practically leaks with the sauce. The taste is overwhelming as it’s almost just purely barbecue sauce and nothing else. The cheese and bacon went almost unnoticed as it struggled to breach the surface of sauce. The beef patty was incredibly savory and juicy while retaining a chewy characteristic despite being more well done than medium rare. The burger is a much more simple item than sandwich but is even more filling due to how heavy of a meal it is compared to bread and light meats.

The staff at Good Morning Family were all super friendly and welcoming from the moment we first stepped into the restaurant. Throughout the dining experience, waiters would routinely come up to ask how we were doing, giving a free refill on the lemonade and picking up plates as they became empty. At the end of our experience they even had a small bowl of lollipops to offer as a complimentary treat.

Our final total would have been $39 + tax; however, at the register the staff were so kind and applied a 10% student discount to our order bringing it down to $35.10 without sales tax. Overall, it was a great experience filled with great food for fair prices and amazing staff. Good Morning Family is definitely a top restaurant to check out in the local area. Drop by for a bite and support a local business.