Taking the Heat: A morning in the kitchen at Lou Mitchell’s

Lou Mitchell’s opened in 1923, and eighty-six years of favorable reviews and word-of-mouth later, hungry hopefuls still line up at the door, placated by complimentary donuts and Milk Duds, waiting for an even larger portion of “Uncle” Lou’s renowned menu. Once past the threshold, a descent into another ring of the dining circus ensues. Glasses fogged and a four-fold pile of skillets raised above her head, a waitress gracefully lays her party’s orders in front of them. Meanwhile, a bus boy in the back of the room cracks all of the vertebrae in his neck with a little help from co-owner Heleen Thanas—anything to keep his performance in top shape, so it seems. Without question, the weekend crowd that spends their mornings staking out the tables would agree: the joint on Jackson is a not just a restaurant—it’s a Chicago breakfast institution. Yet, beyond the confines of the skillet, a bolder claim to the restaurant’s ongoing success resides at the source—the kitchen—and it’s about time the heat be endured before stepping out of it.
Little does anybody know that behind the diner’s silver swinging door is a well-greased breakfast machine that will topple anything in the way of its mission “to provide customers with unsurpassed exceptional service with a joyful heart.” As it swings open on an unfortunate waitress’ elbow, her yelps of pain are lost among the clanking of dishes and the cracking of eggs. Making her exit, she resumes her position before the conveyor belt of cooking staff where, as though by some divine cooking intervention, her voice is suddenly audible again. Her orders, plus those of the other wait staff, are absorbed by two designated members of the kitchen—their hands reenacting their memories’ task. Behind them, an omelet assembly line tirelessly carries on alongside the designated pancake location: hundreds of eggs cracked one after the other, blended, then converted into each customer’s dish of choice. Couple the action with nearly incomprehensible, fast-paced directions uttered by the staff to one another and the scene becomes a vision in culinary capitalism.
Midway through the workday, wet paper towels temporarily adorn the heads of the cooks. Letting out sighs of relief from the heat and chuckling amongst each other in spite of it, the team presses on while a waitress downs her cup of coffee. Suddenly a cutting board counter-top gives way under the weight of ten bags of potato slices. The commotion around the mishap is nearly undetectable amidst the breakfast storm that has been cooking up since 5:30am, and the only telling sign of the incident is the uproar of laughter once all has been restored. It all goes to show that not much has changed since Lou began his business nearly a hundred years ago. Despite the breakfast hub’s adoption of a rather tough cooking exterior, Lou’s original fixation on delicious food and a warm environment continues to simmer at its core. (Elise Biggers)

Lou Mitchell’s Restaurant, 565 West Jackson, (312)939-3111