Behind the scenes at Bob Chinn's

Bob Chinn's Crab House is one of the hottest spots to eat in the Chicago suburbs — and the busiest.

It's not the ambience that draws 3,000 patrons daily and 4,000 on Saturdays. Its gigantic dining room is noisy and crowded.

It all starts with the fresh seafood.

It's picked up at O'Hare International Airport at 8 a.m. every day.

“We pick seafood up at O'Hare two, three times a day, seven days a week,” said Deno Roumanidakis, director of operations at the Wheeling restaurant.

The crab ranks as the specialty, with 20,000 pounds of it served each month (along with 4,000 pounds of butter.)

Each morning Eliazar Cruz uses a press to make more than 4,000 of Bob Chinn's famous garlic rolls.

Some 175 employees keep the large kitchen at Chinn's operating, with another 200 working directly with customers.

With one spin around the kitchen you can see Jose Cardenas cooking king crab legs, Ranulfo Teran frying shrimp and steaming vegetables, Jorge Flores carrying a giant tub of shellfish, Gabriela Arellano separating shellfish for platters, Adolfo Eloisa scooping a 2-pound live Maine lobster from a tank, and waitress Sheri Gardener rushing in to check an order.

Roumanidakis, who started as a kitchen manager in 1988, says the fun-loving kitchen and crew looks hectic, but runs smoothly.

“It's truly organized chaos with everyone managing themselves,” he said.

Images: Inside Bob Chinn's Crab House in Wheeling