UPDATE: Let's have seconds: Restaurants with room to grow

In response to six decades of scarce parking and high demand, locally famous drive-in hot dog stand Superdawg announced last week via the Chicago Tribune that it would open a second non-airport location (there's one in Midway). As the Chicago icon prepares to set up shop in suburban Wheeling, The A.V. Club started thinking about other local hotspots that could use a little more legroom—or another room altogether.

Kuma's Corner
With its legendary burgers, national spotlight, limited seating, and staunch anti-reservation policy, few establishments exemplify the overcrowded restaurant better than Kuma’s. Owner Mike Cain hinted in January that a second location may be on the horizon, but for now the only option is to up the irons until the heavy-metal set has eaten its fill.
Could stand to expand because: No one will dispute Kuma’s burgers being worth the lengthy wait for a table, but not every diner wants two hours of earsplitting Iron Maiden as an appetizer.
But then again: Pandering to market forces is definitely not metal.

The Publican
By combining top-shelf cuisine (witness the Kobe sirloin or the Chilean turbot served with tomato agro dolce and chanterelles) with an endless beer selection (more than 100 on hand—and don’t even think about ordering a Bud Light), The Publican found the perfect intersection of classy and drunk.
Could stand to expand because: The downside of such a pairing? The six-week wait for a table at a decent hour.
But then again: The Publican is not even a year old, putting novelty squarely on its side, and while the beer list rivals any in Chicago, the young restaurant’s menu is still learning to walk.

The Silver Palm
Most of the usually packed Silver Palm’s appeal comes from the dining car used for half the seating area, though the famous Three Little Pigs sandwich (two slices of ham, two strips of bacon, one slice of breaded pork, two fried eggs, one giant onion ring, and melted gruyere cheese on a brioche bun) has a sizable following in its own right. Then there's its proximity to next-door cocktail superstar Matchbox, whose cocktails are available to Palm diners.
Could stand to expand because: Its ability to fill a bar, patio, and train car simultaneously speaks to Silver Palm’s popularity but, it should be noted, the Three Little Pigs is as awesome as Anthony Bourdain says—the more places to eat such a concoction, the better.
But then again: The train car and somewhat grimy River West backdrop are probably exponentially harder to replicate than the already complex sandwich.

Metropolis Coffee Company
Coffee shops are a dime a dozen, but Metropolis’ fusion of artistic free-spiritedness and connoisseur selectiveness—as well as its fervent devotion to its community—give it a leg up on the chains and convenience stores.
Could stand to grow because: Its Edgewater location puts Metropolis’ delicious baked goods and award-winning blends well out of the way for most Loop-bound Chicagoans.
But then again: Does the world, let alone this town, really need another coffee shop?

Lou Mitchell's
No need to debate too much on this one: After decades of serving their omelets from the same spot near the corner of Jackson and Jefferson, Lou Mitchell's just announced their decision to franchise, Crain's reports. Franchise President Nicholas Thanas assured The A.V. Club via telephone that he is "not looking to sell out the name" and plans to keep the first few locations "no more than 15 to 20 miles outside the [Chicago] area" before going nationwide.
Could stand to expand because: Although the restaurant graciously seeks to appease its patrons' hunger by offering free doughnut holes (plus Milk Duds for women and children) while they wait in line, by the time you finally get a seat, a whole box of doughnut holes might not be sufficient.
But then again: Isn't the wait as legendary as the omelets and therefore part of the whole experience?