A group of friends. A garage. And a grill that never seemed to cool down.

In the early 2000s, calling in a sickie wasn’t about taking a sick day at all. It was about getting back to the motorcycles, the cars, the projects, and the burgers that had no business being as good as they were. Unexpected toppings, combinations nobody had tried, and the crew kept pushing further. Friends and family couldn’t get enough, and word travels fast when something is worth the trip.

The garage got a name. Sickies Garage. And the burger list took on a life of its own. Fifty burgers. Fifty brews. Not built to fit a menu, built by the people who kept pulling up a chair for more.

In 2012, we opened our first restaurant in Fargo, ND, and found out fast that the garage wasn’t just ours anymore. From Fargo, the road took us across the Great Plains and into new time zones, all the way to Las Vegas, Texas, Florida, and beyond.

Along the way the scenery has changed, but the highway never ends. And wherever you find a Sickies Garage, there’s always a seat at the table, a cold brew on tap, and a burger worth taking a sickie for.