Joe Rogers’ Original Recipe Chili Parlor, aka The Den, of Springfield, Ill., is set to gain new owners next month, reports the Springfield Journal-Register.
Longtime customers Ric and Rose Hamilton are buying the restaurant from Marianne Rogers, daughter of the restaurant’s founder. The Hamiltons pledge to not change a thing.
Rogers will start a new venture — selling the spices that go into the chili. But there are significant conditions if you want to buy the mix.
The Hamiltons will buy the spices they use in the restaurant from her. She also has several potential licensees who are planning to sell chili made with the spice mix. The Hamiltons will be the only ones in Sangamon County allowed to use the spices.
“People will pay me to learn the system — what type of meat to order, how to cook the chili, how to serve it. It will take two to four weeks of training. Once they do that, they can put the chili in an existing bar or restaurant or sell it from a cart, but they can’t call it Joe Rogers’ Chili. They can say they are serving chili made with Joe Rogers’ spices,” said Rogers.
The chili restaurant started in 1945 on 1120 S. Grand Ave. East, which is not on Route 66 but is barely a block away. However, the current restaurant has been since 1997 on 820 S. Ninth St., a prominent alignment of the Mother Road through town.
There’s another reason the restaurant should be on roadies’ radar — like Cincinnati, the town of Springfield has long been a hotbed for chili. Springfield calls itself the “Chilli Capital of the World” (“chilli” is the locally accepted spelling). Springfield residents reputedly eat more chili per capita than anywhere.
Joe Rogers’ place obviously is a key player in that.
In case you’re wondering about the Joe’s product:
The beans and meat are cooked separately, which enables customers to get personalized orders. It can be prepared without beans, with extra beans, with extra meat or without meat.
Diners can specify how much oil they want in the bowl.
The chili comes in mild, medium, medium with a touch of hot, medium hot, hot and the J.R. Special, also known as firebrand.
You have to like a place where you can custom-order the grease proportions.
Another reason to go back and visit my old home town!