A new business in DeKalb is a dream come true for the Accardi’s.

Johnny G’s, located at 1180 W. Lincoln Highway, is a place that prides itself in quality.

“We steam our buns and we use ground chuck instead of ground beef for the burgers,” said John Accardi, owner of the establishment.

Owning a restaurant was something he has been thinking about for years.

“I came up with the money, and I saw the place here and decided to open it,” Accardi said.

The restaurant is family-owned. Accardi, along with his two brothers and father, helped purchase the place.

The name “Johnny G’s” was something his father thought up.

“Well my name is John,” Accardi said. “We wanted something catchy so he said ‘Hey why not Johnny G’s?’”

He chose to buy the building because he liked the location and the facility.

“It was the perfect spot,” Accardi said. “No other place around had Chicago-style hot dogs.”

Accardi has no worries about how business will be after NIU closes for the summer.

“The customers are really good,” Accardi said. “It’s been 50/50, college people and town.”

His decision to open a place that concentrated on Chicago hot dogs came to him when he was a resident of Chicago. He remembers seeing local hot dog places always filled with people.

“They had about 30 people in line,” Accardi said. “The business never stopped.”

Accardi used to live in St. Charles, and moved to DeKalb where his brothers stayed. He also had a couple of friends who went to NIU.

Though the restaurant only has been open for two weeks, business seems to be doing well.

“People come back because they enjoy the food,” Accardi said.

For first-time customers, he recommends the hot dog and Italian beef.

“It’s homemade, not premade,” Accardi said. “If people like to try out new places, check out the food here.”

Accardi stressed that it’s not a fast food place, but “more like restaurant-type food.”

“It’s made to order,” he added.

Even with the long days, he says it’s all worth it.

“It’s a lot of work,” Accardi said. “I usually run around a lot. It’s not hard on me.”

Along with Chicago hot dogs, they also sell burgers, pizza, chicken sandwiches, shakes and side orders like French fries and onion rings.

“It’s a really good place,” said Nicole Runde, an employee at the restaurant. “I tried a lot of the food and it’s pretty good.”

The restaurant’s hours are 10 a.m. to midnight Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. to midnight on Sundays.

They also have drive-thru, pick-up and delivery available. Delivery cost is $1 and the minimum order for delivery is $6.