Alex Salgado places a halibut in a tub to be weighed. Below, Adolfo Eloisa pulls a crab from a tank.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.co
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.
Cooks, food servers and waitresses work side-by-side in kitchen.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Ranulfo Teran prepares fried shrimp on Friday night; 1,500 pounds of shrimp are sold each week.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Adolfo Eloisa pulls a crab from a tank.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Jorge Flores carries shellfish from the kitchen prep area in the basement to the kitchen on the first floor.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Edwin Figeroa weighs oysters.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Jose Cardenas cooks king crab legs, which are the most popular selling food item at Bob Chinns Crab House. Ten tons of crab are served each month along with 2 tons of butter.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
David Ordaz cuts fillets from a halibut in the kitchen prep area.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
The crab house has 175 employees who work just in the kitchen and has 375 total employees.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Gabriela Arellano, a five-year employee at Bob Chinns, separates shellfish for platters.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
A small portion of the dining room at Bob Chinns Crab House, which serves 3,000 guests each day and 4,000 on Saturdays.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Adolfo Eloisa scoops a live Maine lobster from a tank, headed for a customers plate.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Jorge Flores places a halibut in a tub to be weighed after it is unpacked early in the morning.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
The sign outside of Bob Chinns Crab House says it all with a giant red crab and gold lettering.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Edwin Figeroa places a king salmon in a container to be weighed.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Waitress Sheri Gardener of Arlington Heights rushes drinks to the dining area. Bob Chinns serves 6,200 mai tais each week.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
A tray of shellfish prepared at Bob Chinns Crab House in Wheeling.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
King salmon is placed in containers to be weighed. Seafood is picked up from OHare International Airport every day.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Eliazar Cruz uses a press to make Bob Chinns famous garlic rolls.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com