Celebrating 40 years is a big deal. I know because I’m turning 40 this year! But that pales in comparison to Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises (LEYE) celebrating 40 years in the restaurant business when Rich Melman first opened RJ Grunts. This year, he finally won (after being nominated seven times) the James Beard Outstanding Restaurateur award which was well earned and a great way to kick off an anniversary year. When I got wind of this story, I decided to take a different approach…why look back? I wanted to know where they are headed.
RJ Melman and I spoke briefly on the culture and future of LEYE. They decided to celebrate their employees rather than throwing a big lavish party honoring themselves. Even winning the James Beard award was another day at the restaurant. From what I heard, Rich Melman didn’t pay much attention the day the event took place. But RJ notes that Rich works just as much today as he did forty years ago. He still has the creative energy and wants to grow the business along with continuing to develop the people that work for the company. That’s a good thing considering his kids RJ, Jerrod and Molly have taking a bigger grip on the reins.
The real message RJ gets across is LEYE is a healthy company and the goal is maintaining a thriving enterprise. With so many partners involved in LEYE, each family member plays a significant role. The Melman’s are all very aware of trends and staying on top of their game but trends don’t define who they are in the business. Researching is key and they do a great job at it. But setting trends rather than following is in the forefront of their strategy. Ultimately, it’s paid off. When asked about upcoming projects, RJ was his usual charming and evasive self. “There is always something in the works” but nothing he can discuss. While Rich overseas the entire company, his kids focus on Paris Club, Hub 51, RJ Grunts and two restaurants in Santa Monica, California, M Kitchen and Stella Rosa Pizza Bar. Looking back, we can put the landscape of Chicago dining into perspective based on what LEYE has generated on purely talent alone. With so many great chefs in the market, many of them began in a Lettuce kitchen. So, we can only hope that the innovative thinking of the Melman’s carries us through many more decades. I, for one, always look forward to a dining experience with each new restaurant they open.
The big news flash this week for Lettuce is the soon to be reinvented space at Water Tower’s mezzanine level just outside foodlife. LEYE will be expanding the market place which entails 4,500 square feet of space and will be called foodease which will hold everything from an M Burger, a wine bar to a chocolate room. And for those more into the nightlife in town, Paris Club hopes to debut their roof top, Studio Paris, within the next few weeks. I’m sure it will be the most swank yet difficult roof to get into this summer!
I found RJ’s last comments to be the most interesting and telling, “We don’t want the next forty years to be quantified by just opening more restaurants but staying on top of what’s going on already for us. It’s the quality.”
Congratulations to The Melman family and their employees!