The Rich Melman-founded Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises began in 1971 with R.J. Grunts in Lincoln Park. The company describes its last surviving 1970s zeitgeist strike as “an upbeat eatery geared toward young singles interested in rock music, casual clothes and healthy food.” (Who remembers Great Gritzbe’s Flying Food Show, Jonathan Livingston Seafood and Lawrence of Oregano?) “Melman hired bright, attractive waitresses and bartenders and filled the location with hanging plants and modern artwork.” LEYE has cycled through food-concepts-of-the-moment for almost half a century and serves at over 130 locations in nine states, including—take a breath—ASAP Poke, Big Bowl, Booth One, Bub City, Café Ba-Ba-Reeba, Everest, Mon Ami Gabi, Nacional 27, Oyster Bah, RPM Italian, Shaw’s Crab House, Sushi-San, Tallboy Taco and Wow Bao. Their new all-you-can-eat crab and burger box Crab Cellar, in the Oyster Bah space, holds seven tables with twenty-five seats and a ten-seat bar. Their offering? Executive partner of Oyster Bah and Shaw’s Crab House Bill Nevruz pinpointed to the Trib’s Phil Vettel just before opening to the public how LEYE and its partners pinch the pulse of the moment: “I’ve been doing this for thirty years, and I’ve never been part of something where I’ve had one-hundred percent satisfaction from every single table. It’s like a souped-up man cave, and you’re having a party.” (Ray Pride)
