× Expand PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN A. ROBERTS

Hi-Pointe Drive-In was the first—and certainly one of the most publicized—restaurant openings of last year. Given the popularity and stellar reputation of its forebearer, Sugarfire Smoke House, expectations were high, and the high-energy, fast-casual, brightly colored drive-in-without-a drive-through didn't disappoint.

The signature burger (a spinoff of the Sugarfire burger, made from chuck, brisket, and rib) is all-natural, all-Angus, and deserving of its multiple first-place finishes in burger competitions. The colorful location—cobbled together from former shipping containers, unfinished wood, and quilted stainless steel—was equally notable.

So it was only a matter of time before another Hi-Pointe location opened.

× Expand The colorful exterior—shipping crate and all—at the original location

Slated for completion by December, the second location will be built in O’Fallon, Illinois, at 531 W. Highway 50, according to co-owner Charlie Downs. The new site's been in the planning stages for a year, since around the same time as the Sugarfire Smoke House there (which opened two weeks ago). Both O’Fallon locations are franchises, Downs says, but the franchisees are different.

Happy with the progress and acceptance of the flagship Hi-Pointe, Downs says no changes or updates are planned for the new location. “Same bright colors, same architect, same menu, same wackiness,” he says, although the use of "one-trip" shipping containers (those used only one time on overseas trips) has yet to be approved.

“That said," he added, "knowing [co-owner] Mike Johnson, I’m sure there’ll be a few surprises.”