Chuck-A-Rama now serves breakfast. It’s a recent development in the restaurant chain’s offerings, and for most people, not wildly significant news. But Adam Boswell, who lives in Layton with his family and runs a home warranty business, is not like most people.
Boswell has always loved buffets. It’s a love he believes he developed as a child visiting the grand buffets of Las Vegas with his family. Now his buffet allegiance lies locally with Chuck-A-Rama, where he always starts with a salad, usually a side of chicken, a glass of Diet Mountain Dew, a glass of chocolate milk, and whatever daily specials are available. And he always ends with an ice cream cone.
“I think they do a really good job,” he said of his favorite restaurant.
He loves it so much that he eats there for every birthday and is constantly trying to convince friends, family and colleagues to eat there with him.
A month ago, a friend texted Boswell about the new Chuck-A-Rama breakfast. Then, the friend asked Boswell if he had been to each Chuck-A-Rama location. His response was, “Well, yeah, of course, I have.” But the question gave Boswell an idea so mad, it’s akin to Dr. Frankenstein thinking he could reanimate a corpse. An idea us normal people would never dare imagine. An idea so dangerous and so bold it became impossible to ignore.
“I thought, you know what, I’ve already been to them all,” Boswell explained. “If I start at 8 o’clock in the morning, I think I can do all of these in one day.”
And Chuck Rally 2025 was born.
Boswell and his ragtag crew of relatives — not including his wife, who was rightfully skeptical about the endeavor — set out to eat at all 11 Chuck-A-Rama locations in Utah and Idaho in 24 hours. He enlisted the help of his brother-in-law, who owns a motorhome, and reached out to the powers that be at Chuck-A-Rama asking if he could possibly get a discount on the 11 meals he was setting out to consume. In response, Boswell received a call from Chuck-A-Rama CEO Neil Hartford, who told Boswell he had the company’s full support and that they would be comping the crew’s meals.
“They have just been absolutely amazing,” Boswell said, and explained that the company’s management exceeded his expectations not just by comping all the meals, but also providing T-shirts and organizing a celebratory welcome at each stop.
Boswell and his band of fellow travelers — his son Crue, his brother Nathan, his nephew Ben, his brother Preston, his brother-in-law Cormick and his nephew Case — began their journey Saturday morning at the St. George Chuck-A-Rama location, where they ate a full breakfast.
“The rule was you had to have a plate. You had to eat something at every restaurant,” Boswell explained. They then drove north to Provo and Lehi, where they continued to eat substantial amounts of food, which was a decision they would later regret.
By the time they made it to the Draper, Murray and South Ogden locations, Boswell could only tolerate small items, like a single piece of chicken or an ice cream cone.
“By the time we got to Logan, I was as full as I could possibly be,” Boswell told me.
His heart was full as well, from the warm reception from restaurant employees and fans. At every location, Chuck-A-Rama staff and enthusiastic customers greeted them as they approached the restaurant.
“They brought the entire staff out and had air horns. People were hooting and hollering,” Boswell recalled. “We had strangers showing up, like little kids with signs that say, ‘We love Chuck-A-Rama.’ I don’t even know these people.”
After eating a few bites of food in Logan, they made the long drive to Idaho Falls, where they were able to stomach a bit more. Then they drove through the night to Boise, they were hungry enough for a full finale breakfast.
Despite the discomfort of eating too much and driving for 17 hours straight, Boswell speaks of the journey with fondness. “It really turned into a cool experience,” he said. It was an experience that fit with his life philosophy — “If it’s not fun, don’t do it.”
It’s a philosophy he recently adopted after realizing he’d spent most of his life working really hard and was ready for a shift in priorities. “My eyes opened up and I decided I am only going to do things that I like.”
Eating at Chuck-A-Rama numbers among those things. So much so that, after eating at every Chuck-A-Rama location in 24 hours, he texted his family on the way home from Idaho Falls and asked if anyone was interested in meeting him at Chuck-A-Rama for lunch. He didn’t get any takers, but assured me he’d be at the restaurant again soon for his Diet Mountain Dew, chocolate milk, salad and chicken.
