MOUNT GREENWOOD — Wonderburger may be gone, but there's a new wonder at 11045 S. Kedzie Ave. in Mount Greenwood.
Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt debuted last week in the storefront that was home to the burger shop for 60 years. It's the first store in Chicago for the Oklahoma City-based chain, which specializes in do-it-yourself desserts.
Amit Patel of Blue Island bought the building from the owners of Wonderburger in March. The structure was completely renovated, leaving it nearly unrecognizable from its hamburger past. A bright new design and trendy furniture are now highlighted by Orange Leaf's signature orange and neon green color scheme.
The Mount Greenwood store has eight froyo machines, each serving two different flavors. These flavors are intentionally paired so they can be combined in a swirl. Peanut butter and brownie batter are among the arranged marriages along with cookies-and-cream and birthday cake.
After selecting a flavor or multiple flavors of frozen yogurt, customers move on to the topping bar. Patrons choose from 42 different toppings, with the most popular being gummy worms, sour worms and sour cubes, Patel said.
Each creation is then weighed. Orange Leaf charges 49 cents per ounce.
"It's a simple concept, and it's all self-serve," said Patel, who also owns the Jimmy John's franchise in Blue Island.
Patel grew up around successful franchises. His parents owned the Dunkin Donuts/Baskin-Robbins store at 2323 W. 127th St. in Blue Island.
Patel and his sister often worked in the store, which was one of the first to combine doughnuts with ice cream. Patel said the pairing worked out surprisingly well, and he was struck by the volume of ice cream sales.
It was this experience, in part, that led Patel to Orange Leaf. The franchise also has suburban stores in Deerfield, Elk Grove Village, LaGrange, Orland Park and Winnetka. Patel said the chain chose Mount Greenwood for its Chicago debut because of the heavy concentration of families living nearby.
Keith and Teresa Sinks of Morgan Park were among the first families to try Orange Leaf. The parents sampled the frozen yogurt creations of their two children on Tuesday evening.
Gabby Sinks, 6, topped her chocolate and cookies-and-cream frozen yogurt with bits of Oreo cookie. Her bother, Mason Sinks, 5, went wild with the toppings. He mixed Peanut M&Ms, jelly beans, gummy bears, chocolate sauce and caramel sauce into his pumpkin pie and chocolate frozen yogurt.
"I like the gummy bears. They're squishy," Mason Sinks said.
Patel had hoped to open Orange Leaf in May, but construction delays pushed back the scheduled debut. As for opening a frozen yogurt store just ahead of winter, Patel is confident his new store will be able to weather the traditionally slow season. But he has trimmed the hours a bit.
Orange Leaf's winter hours are noon-9 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays and noon-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Patel said customers are often surprised at the changes within his store near the busy intersection of Kedzie Avenue and 111th Street. And Wonderburger remains a popular topic at the register and among customers. Though Patel doesn't seem to mind.
"Sixty years is a long time," he said.
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