Dick's Kitchen's New Burger Concept Unleashed in Woodstock

When the Woodstock neighborhood first heard Dick's was moving in, it probably expected a regular ol' Dick's Kitchen, the paleo-friendly burger restaurant. Instead, Dick's went ahead and opened Dick's Primal Burger, a sister-restaurant offering counter service and serving more composed burgers and a new style of fry. Speaking with Eater today, owner Richard Satnick explained that he and the restaurant "agonized" over how to improve its fries, which are usually baked to maintain paleo standards. The result, at least during busy hours, could be limp, so Dick's Primal Burger will fry its fries using rice bran oil.

"We considered paleo alternatives, such as tallow and duck fat," says Satnick, "but we didn't want to exclude vegetarian and vegan diets." As ever, Satnick wants to start a discussion, so share your thoughts regarding paleo versus crispy fries in the comments.

From the usual sides, salads, and soups, to the bowls and burgers, the rest of the menu will look familiar, although it you'll find new names, such as the newly dubbed Salmon Nation salmon burger and the Woodstock veggie burger (as an aside, Satnick attended the original Woodstock, and he still remembers being woken up by Jimi Hendrix taking the stage in the morning like it was yesterday). The burgers will also have more toppings pre-selected for you, to, in theory, make ordering easier.

Dick's Primal Burger will be the first Dick's restaurant to offer counter service, and it's a move aimed to keep prices down. "We want to keep our pricing available to most people," says Satnick, and to some extent, he's getting back to his roots: Satnick founded Laughing Planet, the healthy and fast, counter-service burrito franchise.

Having announced its opening on social media, Dick's Primal Burger is still technically in the soft opening phase, but you can expect to find it grilling burgers and frying fries daily for lunch and dinner.