Melissa Seeling, 39

By Sarah Roberts

Melissa Seeling was just 12 years old the first time she went to work at Beef-A-Roo, the popular restaurant franchise owned by her parents, Dave and Jean.

She and her siblings got an early, up-close look at what goes into running a restaurant, but it wasn’t a given that they would all eventually join the family business.

“My parents encouraged all of us kids to go off to school and come back only if we had a passion for the business,” Melissa said. “It was excellent advice.”

She left for college at Valparaiso University, intent on either going to law school or entering academia. But working at Beef-A-Roo during breaks in grad school made her realize that she preferred the exciting, fast pace of running a restaurant to sitting behind a desk or studying in the library.

Today, Melissa, along with her three siblings, is a partner/owner of the Beef-A-Roo chain, which has become a local institution, known as much for its community involvement as its addictive seasoned salt. Melissa serves as the primary “public face” of the business – she’s seen everywhere from Beef-A-Roo promotional billboards to behind the counter taking lunch orders in an effort to stay engaged with customers.

She is dedicated to ensuring Beef-A-Roo finds ways to return the support it has received from the community throughout the years by providing marketing and sponsorship services to local charitable organizations, volunteering for community boards or establishing a trust fund at the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois.

In her free time, Melissa volunteers at her church, works with dog rescue groups and helps organize events and fundraisers for the Burpee Museum of Natural History. Noting that her family “has always included community service as a family tradition,” she has helped foster that spirit in her 13-year-old daughter, Annabel, who volunteers with her church and the Discovery Center Museum.