Two weeks ago Cracked: The Egg Came First owner Daniel Krause announced via Facebook that he had purchased the Antonio's storefront at 619 E. Green St. in Champaign.
It was a sad day for everyone when they realized Antonio's might be gone from campus forever, but the bad news quickly turned good when the thought of a Cracked store front came to mind. Yes, you heard that correctly. Cracked: The Egg Came First, one of our favorite UIUC food trucks, is getting a real restaurant.
A Cracked restaurant is about to change things at UIUC big time — and here's why.1. Breakfast on Green Street
There is truly no breakfast-only restaurant on Green Street. If you're looking to get breakfast with your friends after a long night out, you're going to have to venture to downtown Champaign or Urbana as Campustown's only breakfast offerings are fast food or coffee shops like McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts.
The opening of a Cracked restaurant, which will hopefully be open all day, means breakfast within walking distance — a blessing for all of your hungover mornings.
2. Winter
Going to a Cracked truck in the winter is quite possibly the best and worst decision you will ever make. The food is always worth the wait, but standing outside waiting to order in below freezing temperatures really sucks.
Whether it's in the morning before class or after a night out, standing outside to order food in the winter is just not ideal. A Cracked restaurant will likely mean more business for them and less frost-bite scares for us. Yay!
3. The Possibility of an Expanding Menu
We all love the classic menu at a Cracked truck (especially the Morning Bender and Parmesan Tots), but let's be honest, we all love options more. A restaurant could mean the same exact menu indoors, but it could also mean bigger and better things for Cracked.
More sandwiches, wraps, tots or even combination meals could be in sight. Guess we will just have to wait and see.
4. You Will Always Know Where It Is
We all know where to find Cracked Truck 90 percent of the time, but then there is the feeling of wandering around aimlessly on a Friday night post-bars not sure if a Cracked truck is in the weekday location, the weekend location or if it's even open for that matter.
Worry no more because the best part about a restaurant is it's very difficult (well, impossible) to pick up and move. You'll always be able to find your favorite tots in the same spot.
5. Growth in Popularity
All of you UIUC recent grads are probably reading this wishing you took your victory lap and stayed for a fifth year to enjoy the magnificence of a Cracked restaurant. Try not to stress though because the opening of a restaurant means the trucks have been successful and that means the possibility of even more expansion. Many of the country's best restaurants began as food trucks.
Cracked, Chicago anyone? A girl can dream.
The Cracked restaurant has yet to set an opening date, but it is safe to say that it will be what all the buzz is about this upcoming spring semester. We can't wait for more from you, Cracked.