RIVERSIDE-BROOKFIELD $1.00
GCM at Coonley event
Vol. 40, No. 38
Page 10
September 24, 2025
Burger Antics is closing by year’s end RBHS tackles The gourmet burger joint has operated in Brookfield for 10 years student selfharm with SOS program By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter
Downtown Brookfield will have one fewer option for hamburger lovers come 2026. Dan and Brenna Velcich, the owners of Burger Antics, offering deluxe burgers and American food as well as beer, wine, cocktails and liquor, announced the restaurant will close permanently on Sunday, Dec. 21. It will continue to operate normally at 3740 Grand Blvd. until then, though gift cards must be used by Dec. 14. The owners made the announcement earlier this month on the restaurant’s Facebook page but have since deleted that post. In the announcement, they described how a potential buyer who was interested in the business instead pursued purchasing the building from their landlord in an attempt to acquire Burger Antics for a lower sum. Dan Velcich initially responded to an interview request from the Landmark but later declined to speak on the advice of the couple’s attorney. It remains unclear whether Burger Antics, which opened in Brookfield in April 2015 following a 15-month stint in Countryside, could reopen at another location. Since making the announcement, which garnered sympathy and grief See BURGER on page 6
Issues related to potentially suicidal thoughts and behaviors are complex By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter
TRENT BROWN
The facade of Burger Antics is pictured Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, before opening. The burger joint’s owners announced its Dec. 21 closure earlier this month.
High school is often a rough time for students, particularly freshmen. There are so many new (and sometimes challenging) people, new responsibilities, new feelings. It can be overwhelming, sometimes to the point of contemplation of self-harm. It is hard to talk about suicide, but the fact remains that it is a reality with sometimes tragic consequences. That’s why Riverside-Brookfield High School began collaborating with Northbrook-based Elyssa’s Mission to implement the Signs of Suicide (or SOS) Program with freshmen during the 2022-23 school year. It has expanded to See SELF-HARM on page 8
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