Bob Chinn’s Will Live On, Even Without Bob Chinn | Eater Chicago

"Long a family-run Wheeling institution, the restaurant Bob Chinn’s Crab House—located at 393 S. Milwaukee Avenue—became one of the nation’s busiest and most profitable seafood-and-steak destinations after opening in 1982 (technically Dec. 24, 1982). Founded by Bob Chinn (who died last month at 99) and co-run today by his daughter Marilyn and granddaughters Carly and Maile Le Tourneau, the 735-seat restaurant is famous for its signature crab legs (ironically, the family admits they aren’t fond of them) and the World Famous Bob Chinn’s Mai Tai, which was even produced by a family-run mixing plant. Chinn was a hands-on, exacting owner—known for rules like “no CH and L-ing,” for confronting staff, and for fiercely protecting the name (including a 2001 court fight over a nephew’s planned restaurant)—and the place weathered scandals such as a dismissed 1995 harassment suit and a 2012 norovirus complaint without losing popularity. The business has evolved recently—adding social media, a reservation system after the pandemic, a computerized kitchen display to replace manual expediting, and renovations to the century-old building—and the Le Tourneaus remain committed to keeping it a single, standalone location while celebrating its 40th anniversary with monthly events and honoring Chinn with a memorial and museum walk-through." - Aimee Levitt