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In actual practice, the tatted/pierced Kuma's staff has made me feel very comfortable, even though the only holes in my body are the ones God gave me. But you raise interesting questions, ones I've thought about too, which are not limited to Kuma's. Assumptions about equal opportunity in hiring go out the window as soon as you notice that every time you arrive at a trendy, high-end eatery, you are greeted by a hostess so beautiful she makes your eyeballs drop out. Gee, I wonder how that happens? What a coincidence that every single person who has the skill to greet and seat people also happens to be drop-dead gorgeous! What are the odds of that?!? And, in the non-restaurant world, temples are allowed to insist that applicants for the job of rabbi be Jewish...

Forget "trendy, high-end" - this applies from places like the Paramount and Avenue Alehouse to Pizano's Pizza. I'd rather have The Pierced, frankly. The standard issue is too distracting.

What is it about LTH that a singular experience where a large party clearly cannot be physically accommodated and during which the members of the party displayed bad behavior, starting with having only drinks at tables meant for dining guests and peaking with someone moving tables around of his own accord invariably turns into "you had a shoddy waitress with a bad attitude"?

I see Buddy's story as not a lesson about how Check Please has changed Kuma's, but a story about how small restaurants need to keep certain rules in order to cook and serve their guests appropriately. Riddlemay's attack on the waitress, stating that it was "her job" to accommodate customer requests like the removal of the fried egg, was unwarranted, especially considering that the inability to accommodate such requests lies with the kitchen, not with the waitress. Her exclamation "but it's the Kuma burger" I see more as "it's our signature burger, do you really want to change it? Because it's really good the way it is" kind of comment. Perhaps the waitress could have disguised her disappointment a bit more, but I will tell you from personal experience that it's extremely difficult to deal with a large and obviously rowdy group in a chaotic situation, and even worse when part of said group is preventing her from serving other guests who would actually be eating something.

Kuma's is not for everyone. I have my own issues with Kuma's. But not once in the many times I have eaten there have I ever experienced a lack of sincerity or any kind of judgment or attitude from any of the service staff, despite my boringly normal (and even "nerdy") appearance. The service industry is a big example of "you get what you give." Buddy himself admitted some of his party was acting inappropriately. Servers are human beings, and believe it or not, not all of them are actors. An "air of disappointment" is a far cry from giving "shoddy service." And it certainly doesn't signal a wholesale change in attitude against "mainstream" diners, at least from my observations upon my last visit two weeks ago.

Whoa. My post was no more an "attack" on the waitress than your statement that you "have your own issues with Kuma's" is an attack on Kuma's. Neither post is an attack.

Buddy painted a very complete, detailed and balanced portrait of the situation that occured with his group, sufficient that I was able to be there with him and draw some conclusions for myself about the shared fault for the situation. To conclude that there was room for improvement on the waitress's part is not an attack on her, no more than to conclude that there was room for improvement in Buddy's friend's attitude is an attack on Buddy's friend. Just as I'm sure that your critique of my post is not an attack on me, nor is my critique of yours an attack on you.

I tried going to Kuma's last weekend with a party of six which included some out of town folks, be warned that they will not under any circumstances move tables around to accommodate any party over four. Since we didn't want to split up the group we hesitantly left hungry. I was pretty annoyed by this, especially since we brought people in from out of town just for the occasion. I understand splitting up a party of 10, maybe even 8... but 6! It looked kind of small in there but there were plenty of open tables when we arrived. The hostess was kind of nice about it but the music was so loud I couldn't think straight to argue.

Oh well, the experience was not unpleasant enough to keep my wife and I from going back this weekend (just the two of us this time) for a second try.

Andrew,

What is it about LTH that encourages sweeping generalization? That's your interpretation of one persons opinion, that they now say is inaccurate.

I think the real lesson here is People are People and Kuma's is not T.G.I. Friday's.

Enjoy,
Gary 'Let's argue about city limit geography' Wiviott

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Low & Slow

Lunch at Kuma's with the family yesterday was a treat. The wife's High on Fire received high praise, as did my daughter's mac-n-cheese. I had the current special, the Testament, which is swiss cheese, mustard aioli, marinated artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, and fried capers. The spice of the mustard along with the bright brine of the capers melded well with the fattiness of the beef, which despite being cooked to medium/medium-well instead of the requested medium rare, was incredibly juicy and beefy. Of the ten-plus burgers I've had at Kuma's, this was a serious competitor for the top spot. I tend to prefer the spicier offerings, but was glad I mixed it up and went with the special. Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold on the surprisingly quaint and nicely shaded patio made for an ideal midweek lunch.

The "now say" links back to my most recent post on the topic (of earlier this morning), so I think it's safe to assume the "one person" is me. There's something about the "now" in the phrase that implies (or can be interpreted to imply--this may not be your meaning, Gary, but others might read it that way) that I've been inconsistent on this, that what I am saying now is at odds with what I've said before. I just want it on the record that this isn't so.

Thanks.

Riddlemay--perhaps the word "attack" was a bit much, but you did continue to bring up the waitresses' apparent fault through several previous posts, even after Buddy tried to deflect the blame. I was reacting more to the perceived tone behind the words you wrote--"it's her job" than the actual words, because I hear it said like that every day with a sense of entitlement that sometimes can stem from a vague misunderstanding of how a server's job really works in many cases, such as the ability to do substitutions (as in "just do it, it's your job, isn't it?"). You may or may not have meant it that way, but that's how I heard it in my head, for better or worse.

I would just make a general comment that many complaints in this forum and in real life about service come from such a misunderstanding, as it's hard to explain to the public that the chef and kitchen dictates so much about how a restaurant can run; that is, if it's a chef-driven restaurant or very small. Substitutions are greatly restricted or not allowed; pacing is controlled by the kitchen, etc. It's hard to read comments complaining about service being "slow" because someone waited 50 minutes for their burger, when a burger apparently should only take 5-10 minutes to prepare. As others have mentioned, it's not service that's slow, it's that Kuma's can only make six burgers at a time. This is something people should consider when going to eat at certain places.

And G Wiv, it's a generalization based on through reading of many threads here in which people turn one negative experience into how it must be going at a restaurant nowadays, or in which the service staff is blamed for events beyond their control. I've even seen threads become a referendum on particular servers, who were mentioned by name. So this isn't limited to riddlemay's comments. She's not close to being the only person complaining in this very thread either (and her complaint is not even based on her own experience at Kuma's, which has been completely positive, but on her interpretation of someone else's story). I can only say that upon reading Buddy's story, I probably would have acted similarly if I had been that server, without apology, and would have had problems dealing with some of his group. Those girls at Kuma's have to endure a lot working there. The fact that the server didn't lose it--well, hats off to her in my opinion. And that's what this is about, offering the opinion of someone on the other side of the equation.

Let's give this topic a rest, shall we? I'm sure that Buddy is deeply sorry he ever mentioned it in the first place!

Yup.

Buddy

The Testament is indeed a delicious burger.

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Ed Fisher
my chicago food photos

RIP LTH.

What's on it? I can't find a mention of it earlier in this thread.

I think I gave myself permanent hearing damage listening to "Practice What You Preach". I might have to stop by for this burger, regardless of toppings, as a tribute.

Best
Michael

Sounds fantastic. If it's the August special and is about to disappear, hopefully it'll become a permanent menu addition as others in the past have.

Sounds lovely. Thanks for quoting it. For some reason I couldn't uncover that post.

For those interested, I just had the new burger of the month for lunch today, "Insect Warfare." A burger topped with a panko-crusted medallion of goat cheese, caramelized onions, roasted corn and green chili, topped with a roasted corn, cilantro and green chili salsa. It could have used some extra acidity to counter to richness of the goat cheese, and the mild (canned?) chilies could stand to be replaced by fresh jalapenos, but overall a cheesy gloppy mess which really hit the spot.

I had that last night for dinner, and I just had the leftovers for lunch. How I love a cold Kuma's burger

My goodness, how Kuma's Corner has evolved since I started this thread three years ago. A bit of flailing, some remarkably tasty but ultimately untenable explorations in haute cuisine, bar style. And here they are having discovered their true calling (almost a mission) to distribute amazing, heavy metal themed hamburgers to a world that did not even know that this was precisely what it needed. That all to say, my experience at 10;00 p.m. on a Friday in September 2008 is so unlike my gentle breakfast of hash and (yes, truly regretted loss) PERFECT biscuits in a quiet little place on a quiet street ... Well, all know what Kuma's has done with the PA system.

So, tonight I thoroughly enjoyed a late night Lair of the Minotaur. Simply smashing. Carmelized onions, brie and Lagunitas are a match made in heaven. I also never knew how much I liked heavy metal, at least in the friendly confines of Kuma's. I will be back.

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JiLS

Well said indeed.

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It is well said, and it gets to a universal truth: When you give the world something it already knew it needed, you are by definition not exceeding anybody's expectations.

Had the Insect Warfare again for lunch today. I am convinced the fries are better at lunch.

Any theories on that?

=R=

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I was served some mighty nice fries at 10:30 p.m. on Friday. In fact, for the type of fry being served, I'd have trouble finding anything to fault. Now, I'm curious to find out what they're getting on the day shift!

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JiLS

Yeah. I had a hangover. The fries tasted like they were going to save my ass, and they did.

LOL, gotcha!

Great fries can often have that effect.

=R=

_________________
I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

I started putting together a comprehensive Kuma's burger checklist, including specials (this thread had lots of valuable documentation for those)...but it occurred to me that I'm probably not the first person to attempt such a thing. Does anyone already have a list of all the specials?

If not, perhaps those with more intimate knowledge of Kuma's or just infinitely better memories than mine can correct/add to the following list?

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"Ah, lamentably no, my gastronomic rapacity knows no satiety" - Homer J. Simpson

I agree, I think everything is a little better at lunch; probably because there are not as many ravenous people watching others sitting at their comfortable table enjoying a tasty burger and beer while they can barely get to the bar to get one beer in the hour and a half that they have to wait for that table. Meanwhile, the servers cannot get through, your ticket gets dropped because your server was trying to wedge her way between the people to get to the kitchen, and the kitchen is trying to cook in a kitchen that would be considered too small for a Parisian bistro. That said, I love Kuma and I eat there on average of once a week, but my last straw for going there for dinner was when they ran out of fresh cut fries and started serving pre-made "steak cut" fries instead. Call me crazy but wouldn't it be easier to buy potatoes than ore-ida? I would rather have a soggy fresh cut fry than a frozen one.

Wasn't this called the "Municipal Waste" ? (Great band, BTW)

Correct me if i'm wrong but Kuma's does not allow you to create your own burger, correct? If i remember correctly, you can only delete items from a burger, but not add or substitute any, correct?

Not true, last time I was there I added a slice of gruyere to my High On Fire (an otherwise cheese-less burger).