Though fresh seafood is Bob Chinn’s main draw, it serves a variety of other dishes, such as steak.

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These days, it seems impossible to drive anywhere in America for more than 20 minutes without seeing a Chili’s, Red Lobster or a T.G.I. Friday’s restaurant. National chain eateries such as these have become common sights along the nation’s streets. That makes the success of Bob Chinn’s Crabhouse all the more noteworthy, because Chinn’s one location in Wheeling, Ill., draws more visitors and revenue than some chain restaurants do in three or four of their locations.

Since it opened in 1982, Bob Chinn’s Crabhouse has become world-renowned for its seafood, famous Mai Tais and atmosphere. Among independently-owned restaurants, Bob Chinn’s Crabhouse ranks fifth in the United States in terms of sales. The restaurant serves about 3,000 patrons nightly, more on the weekends. It serves nearly 2,300 Mai Tais each night and more than two tons of fish each week.

Chinn, who describes himself as a good gambler, says his success in the restaurant world is the result of a “do-it-yourself” attitude, a willingness to experiment and stay current with technology and no small amount of good fortune. Many of the items found on the menu at Bob Chinn’s Crabhouse were chosen by Chinn himself.

“By luck, whatever I like, the public tends to go for,” Chinn says. “I am blessed with having good taste, I guess.” The menu contains seafood favorites like shrimp, fresh king crab flown in from Alaska and lobster from Australia. But it’s not just what’s on the menu that makes Bob Chinn’s Crabhouse successful, Chinn says – it’s also the attitude of the people behind the restaurant.

“Passion, in one word,” Chinn says.

Always Busy
Chinn, the son of Chinese immigrants, was raised during the Great Depression. He left high school after just five months to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. However, Chinn says his education is something he takes seriously, saying he spends several hours each day reading trade magazines about the restaurant business. He says much of what he knows about the business he learned by reading, listening and asking questions.

“[Those are] the only three things to do to be smart,” Chinn says.

Chinn’s parents operated their own Chinese restaurant in the North Side of Chicago, and Chinn worked in restaurant supply until his parents’ restaurant burned down in the late 1950s.
Chinn bought the surviving equipment and opened his own restaurant in the Chicago suburb of Evanston with his wife, Jean. That restaurant later moved to Wilmette, Ill.

In the 1960s, Chinn began catering Hawaiian luau parties in Chicago’s North Shore area, and it was at these parties that people were introduced to Chinn’s soon-to-be-famous Mai Tai, which Chinn had brought back with him from a trip to Hawaii.

Today, Bob Chinn’s Crabhouse keeps 500 cases of rum on hand at all times to meet the demand for Mai Tais, and more than 700 gallons of them are typically sold on New Year’s Eve.
By the late 1970s, Chinn had left the management of the Wilmette restaurant to his wife and brother-in-law and was running another successful restaurant with his brother Wally.

However, Chinn still wanted a challenge. He traveled the Midwest studying seafood restaurants for research. Armed with the knowledge of the marketplace, Chinn and his daughter Marilyn purchased a building in Wheeling and opened Bob Chinn’s Crabhouse two days before Christmas in 1982.
    
State of the Art
Inside the kitchen, Chinn installed electric magnetic induction ovens, which he says cook food faster and more evenly than regular gas heat. The system works by using electromagnets to heat cookware made of magnetic material such as steel.

The induction systems, Chinn says, are better for seafood because they cook faster and allow the fish to retain much of their natural juices. According to Chinn, the average entrée at Bob Chinn’s Crabhouse is prepared in nine minutes, thanks in part to the efficiency of the electric systems.

Sea of Change
The recent economic downturn and a terrible year weather-wise in the Chicago area have made it a difficult year for Bob Chinn’s Crabhouse.

Nonetheless, Chinn says he’s looking at new options to generate sales. For example, he’s drawing on his catering experience to offer boxed lunches.

Even though he plans to turn the business over to his three children soon, Chinn says he still approaches his job with the same zeal he did when he first opened the restaurant. “At my age, a lot of people look forward to retiring and doing nothing,” he says.