Steppenwolf Theatre Company

The Welcome Conference is heading to Chicago courtesy on One Off, Boka | Eater Chicago

"I noted that the one-day Welcome Conference will take place on September 23 at the Steppenwolf Theater in Lincoln Park, with Kevin Boehm and Donnie Madia bringing the event to Chicago; Boehm spoke at the conference in 2018 and Madia in 2016, and other Chicago speakers have included Rick Bayless, Rich Melman, and Alpana Singh. The speaker lineup for September is forthcoming, tickets go on sale about eight weeks before the event, and Boehm expects it to be a hot ticket—New York attendees often snatch up seats in roughly seven minutes. The conference at Steppenwolf aims to open lines of communication for front-of-house staff, address issues like mental health and late-night transportation, and improve hospitality, and not every speaker is from the restaurant world (past speakers have included comedians Seth Meyers and Michael Che)." - Ashok Selvam