BuddyRoadhouse wrote:He was told he would need to stand in our small waiting area until a table was prepared for him; approximately 15 minutes. We do not seat people at dirty tables.

...a fifteen minute wait for a table is not outrageous.

I agree, of course, if the table is OCCUPIED.
But fifteen minutes for someone to
remove dishes and wipe off the table
IS outrageous IMO. Just seems like
it would be best to take a couple
minutes to clean off the table,
then at least let folks have a
place to sit down and look over
the menu.

And, again, seems like another
worker (part-time, local kid...)
could easily cover most of the
call-ins and even bills while
bussing as needed. Freeing
up everyone else. Must be
missing something...
Just seems that it would be
a shame if Burt's crumbles
under the pressure of success.
Hopefully I'll get a chance to
give it a try before this happens.

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:And you, the customers, are the balls.

Next LTH tagline, please.

yes scuba you should try it and see the place for yourself

JeffB wrote:

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:And you, the customers, are the balls.

Next LTH tagline, please.

It would be an honor sir.

Buddy

For the record, we were not asked to sit at an unbussed table. But telling us we'd have to wait (and for fifteen minutes!) while two-thirds of the tables sat empty gave us a preview of the experience we were in for and left us with a defeated-before-we-started feeling.

This kind of experience may seem to some as quirky or charming or the result of too much of a demand on the limited staff. The implication to me, rightly or wrongly, was one of a general carelessness with regards to cleanliness. A successful restaurant is about more than the quality of its food. That we didn't even make it that far is a shame.

If the wait at Burt's becomes a variable for you, then why not step over the the Bringer Inn (two blocks east) while you wait? It's a friendly place with DAB on tap. That's my strategy.

Josephine wrote:If the wait at Burt's becomes a variable for you, then why not step over the the Bringer Inn (two blocks east) while you wait? It's a friendly place with DAB on tap. That's my strategy.

My best friend's family used to own Bringer Inn for decades. I ate many a greasy burger there way back when!

George wrote:My best friend's family used to own Bringer Inn for decades. I ate many a greasy burger there way back when!

Have you had their pizza? I hesitate to try it, but for the sake of science, I might be persuaded.

Josephine wrote:

George wrote:My best friend's family used to own Bringer Inn for decades. I ate many a greasy burger there way back when!

Have you had their pizza? I hesitate to try it, but for the sake of science, I might be persuaded.

Nope - it was always about the burgers for me.

LTH,

I hadn't been since the Saveur article and frankly didn't quite know what to expect, I thought the publicity might go to Burt's head and half expected to see him pop out of the kitchen in full restaurateur regalia, black silk shirt, gold watch and silk scarf pressing the flesh and kissing customers Euro style. Luckily the 'old' Burt was in residence and the pizza, crusty cheesy perfection in a well worn black metal pan, was as always.

Moderately busy with the cozy dining room filled with the happy buzz of conversation, a nice change from past 8pm mid week visits where there were no other customers. Pizza hit all the high notes, in particular with the addition of habaneros, which Burt now keeps on hand in frozen form, and first timer Crrush seemed to enjoy herself.

Burt's Pizza truly is a special place, as much, if not more, for the charming sincerity of the owners as the unique pan pizza.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:Luckily the 'old' Burt was in residence and the pizza, crusty cheesy perfection in a well worn black metal pan, was as always.

Moderately busy with the cozy dining room filled with the happy buzz of conversation, a nice change from past 8pm mid week visits where there were no other customers.

This is wonderful to hear.

Why not chime in? I have only been to Burt's once, and it was late on a weekday afternoon, probably May or June. The wake for a friend's Mom was very nearby, so I took advantage of the moment to offer to get some food for the kids (hah!) and hauled his two sons over to Burt's where we ordered a couple of pizzas to go. Also snacked on some garlic bread and pop while we waited.

The place was empty, so we wandered up and down, back and forth, taking it all in. It was not exactly what I pictured, though once I checked out the history and understood we were actually in a hundred year old riverside barn (or something like that, I do not remember the exact details) filled with someone's very personal and eclectic set of memorabilia, it made sense. It smelled old, and a little musty, like an old, converted barn, maybe even the slightest hint of mildew, but certainly woo and decor that had a history.

The service was as personable and idiosyncratic as I had been lead to expect. I have to echo someone above on the pizzas - I am not a fan of thick crust, but this was a very good pizza. Will I drive 30 miles back to Morton Grove just to have it again? No, but I will go when I am in the neighborhood.

I also agree, completely, that I would take friends there, but only certain friends. The lovely Bride, for example, would climb the walls if made to stand for 15 minutes while all the tables are empty, but she hates to wait any time. Buddy, maybe full disclosure is the best policy? "Sorry, we just got hammered and are catching up. I can seat you in a minute once I wipe off this table, but all I am going to be able to give you for the next 15 minutes is a glass of water..." Naw, I guess that does not fly either.

Other friends would find the place dim, dingy, a bit unkempt - all of which is certainly true, but I like wearing comfy old shoes, too. They have character and suit me better.

I suppose Burt's could scrub the place up, tear out the old walls and carpeting and put in brand new ones, hire some rosy cheeked high schoolers to work as hosts and wait people, and add some kitchen help and a second oven to increase his capacity. Probably would need to add on to the place to add a few tables to support that staff. Then in a year he could either stop going into the kitchen at all and just watch the till, or file for bankruptcy, depending on whether the demand holds up.

Something is lost, something is gained... we lose Burt's and gain a Bennigan's simulacrum, clean with prompt service and cute memorabilia. It would be a sad thing.

So whether the way they run it is deplorable and unacceptable, or quirky and charming, whether the whole atmosphere and style of the place are just spice on your pizza, or a fly in your soup, you gotta respect them on these counts:

They dare to be different.
They are unapologetic about it.
And Buddy plays with us here, explaining but not trying to excuse, how they do things. Some pretty funny lines, too, Buddy.

Oh, and they make a pretty good pizza. But you can discount my opinion on this as I tend to look at the service and atmosphere as part of the entertainment I pay for with my meal, and if I wanted to always have exactly the same, perfectly performed ballet, heck I guess I would be Swiss.

Don't go to Burt's unless you are okay with some quirks and being treated as something other than an extremely valued customer whose time is of the utmost importance. They care a lot it seems but not in exactly that way.

he could just expand upwards (there is space above) or remodel the garden... the potential for expansion is there... he could move closer to 94, but i don't think Burt is in the mode to do something like that

dicksond wrote:The lovely Bride, for example, would climb the walls if made to stand for 15 minutes while all the tables are empty, but she hates to wait any time. Buddy, maybe full disclosure is the best policy? "Sorry, we just got hammered and are catching up. I can seat you in a minute once I wipe off this table, but all I am going to be able to give you for the next 15 minutes is a glass of water..." Naw, I guess that does not fly either.

There is just no easy way to make everyone happy with this one given the physical space limitations. We were making a conscious effort to seat folks more quickly last weekend following a rush. Unfortunately, even though we got them down, we couldn't get the parties' orders any quicker, resulting in the same level of annoyance as if they were still standing waiting for a table.

It's interesting that you use the term "full disclosure". Our attitude is that we would rather tell the customer the truth when we are running a bit behind, whether it is on the floor or in the kitchen, even though it might mean losing their business that night. We aren't going to tell you "5 minutes" if it's going to be a half hour. Lying to people just pisses them off. In the past, even those folks who didn't want to wait would always come back another time. Sadly, you're not going to please everyone with that philosophy as we have learned since the Saveur effect kicked in.

dicksond wrote:Other friends would find the place dim, dingy, a bit unkempt - all of which is certainly true, but I like wearing comfy old shoes, too. They have character and suit me better.

Me too!

dicksond wrote:I suppose Burt's could scrub the place up, tear out the old walls and carpeting and put in brand new ones, hire some rosy cheeked high schoolers to work as hosts and wait people, and add some kitchen help and a second oven to increase his capacity. Probably would need to add on to the place to add a few tables to support that staff. Then in a year he could either stop going into the kitchen at all and just watch the till, or file for bankruptcy, depending on whether the demand holds up.

Oh my God, I'm laughing so hard I can hardly breathe!

dicksond wrote:And Buddy plays with us here, explaining but not trying to excuse, how they do things. Some pretty funny lines, too, Buddy.

That may be one of the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Thank you.

Buddy

dicksond wrote:I suppose Burt's could scrub the place up, tear out the old walls and carpeting and put in brand new ones, hire some rosy cheeked high schoolers to work as hosts and wait people, and add some kitchen help and a second oven to increase his capacity. .

Lets not get crazy. The man has a rotary phone

I'm glad to say that Burts is once again open and transmitting.

Mixed Veggie, Garlic and Sausage 4/1/08


Burt, Sharon and Buddy Roadhouse had a steady stream of friendly faces tonight for their "shakedown cruise". Burt looked good and was in fine spirits.

stevez wrote:I'm glad to say that Burts is once again open and transmitting.

Thank for the update and photo. Sorry we couldn't make it last night, but we'll be there one night this week. Burt's looking great.

I posted this on the Events board, but for anyone not familiar with Burt and his iconoclastic way of doing things, there's a segment of the conversation I had with him last night here.

Went in for lunch today and ordered a medium sausage and mushroom and enjoyed it thoroughly. Service was fine and the folks were friendly.

Burt conversed about old times and plans regarding keeping the current established hours. There was also mention of this forum. Both by name and as referenced as "the computer people" .

I can understand the decor issue being it was daylight and all, but enjoyed checking out the ham gear and I had that same Seigler gas stove when I rented a coach house in Portage Park years ago.

The pizza was very good. I can see how it might not drag people in from a distance with regularity, but is was a fine, hand-crafted pie. A personal touch exists with the whole Decor, Locale, Burt and Sharon, Good pizza thing.

I get it. And I like it.


Edit: Upon returning home from class to enjoy some of my take home I found a long grey strand of hair on one of my slices.

I didn't order THAT.

Can't wait until Sunday - I and my Customary Dining Companion are celebrating six years of dining together (and other cheerful pursuits), and he suggested that a trip to Burt's after a late-afternoon viewing of the new Clooney football movie would be nice. He's a very good man.

Are we correct in assuming that the former Sunday hours (4:30 - 9:00) are still in effect? I hate to call and bother them. Seriously.

Buddy, hope you'll be around!

No changes in the hours peg, but I'll only be there Saturday night. Sorry I'll miss you. I kinda want to hear if the new Clooney movie is any good.

Buddy

Nowhere in these postings about Burt's Pizza have I seen the caveat about calling first and ordering before you go there. If you don't do that and if you don't personally know Burt and/or his wife, they will be very rude to you.

One posting mentioned "Saint Burt" and everyone here seems to really love the place, but that was not our experience, although Burt came out of the kitchen later, spoke with us and was very nice.

We arrived sort of late in the dinner hour, Mrs. Katz, the only waitress seemed harried though the restaurant was not full and there were a couple of empty booths so we seated (sat?) ourselves. After waiting a fairly long time to even be noticed, she asked us if we had called ahead. Puzzled, we said no. She said "NOT a good plan," and then ignored us some more. We tried to think of another place nearby to leave and go to but decided to stick it out.

It took a very long time to even get water, while Mrs. Katz chatted with the regulars. (Everyone there seemed to have ordered an extra large pizza to eat there and another to take home.) Others, who must have called first were seated and had their pizzas before we had a chance to order.
In the meantime, I noticed the dust bunnies on the light fixtures and it reminded me of Gulliver's on Howard, which also needed a good dusting the last time I was there. I only learned later that Burt had also owned Guilliver's. And I also do remember the Inferno in Evanston under the El tracks on Central, which I understand was also Burt's.
The pizza had a burnt crust which my husband likes, but many people do not. The ratio of sausage to crust and sauce was off, and to be honest, there are at least three places I can think of (besides the old standards of Uno's, Due's and Gino's) that have better deep dish pizza: Lou Malnotti's, Pierro's (who will deliver it) and, for another neighborhood place: Delisi's on Western, which has fresh tomatoes in their sauce. Also, the Diet Coke tasted like pure Aspartame. Mrs. Katz did seem to be concerned about that.

Yes, Burt's is quirky, and may not be to everyone's taste. I like Burt and his place a lot.

sariks wrote:Nowhere in these postings about Burt's Pizza have I seen the caveat about calling first and ordering before you go there.

It has been mentioned earlier in this thread as well as in other threads, but it's understandable that you'd miss it since there is a sea of posts out there about Burt's:

Eric wrote:I was explaining the preferred "rules" of eating at Burt's to someone, and after hearing about how Burt will tell folks that it's Pizza Only at busy times and that they like you to call ahead etc, this person remarked that it sounds like Burt's Place is the Soup Store from Seinfeld. LOL

As nr706, and others, have mentioned: Burt's is a quirky, love-it-or-leave-it kinda place.

Best,
Michael

sariks, my experience was very similar.

We called several times before heading over to see what kind of wait we should expect, see if they take reservations, etc. No one ever answered the phone. So we went over there.

We arrived fairly early in the evening thinking that we'd avoid a long wait. Mrs. Katz asked if we had pre-ordered and we said that we hadn't. She said that she'd have to check if there would be time to make our pizza that evening, that they may not be able to fit it in for like 2 hours. She told us to wait at the entryway while she checked. She checked and came back to tell us that it would be an hour wait. That wasn't a big deal, so we sat down.

She then proceeded to serve every other table twice, seat more people, etc. before coming back to us to get a drink order. We had been waiting about 20 minutes and were a bit frustrated. She took our drink order and our pizza order, but then said that she'd have to check if there was enough dough to make our pizza. Before checking this time, she gave us a stern lecture about how you have to call ahead to order. She came back and said that there wasn't enough dough to make us a pizza. What?! If our order had been taken earlier, would we have been able to get a pizza? What changed in the last 20 minutes? Why wasn't the dough situation checked before we were seated?

Mrs. Katz reiterated that we should call ahead. Of course, we thought to ourselves that we did call a few times and no one ever picked up.

So we left. As we walked out, a few other people waiting to be seated saw us get up and leave, and asked "What's the problem this time?" as if problems happen frequently. We said they were out of dough and headed to Pequod's around the corner.

We were a little upset with the situation since we had driven from the city specifically to try Burt's. I understand that some places are quirky, run out of food, have limited staff, etc. and that sometimes it is still well-worth frequenting these places despite these issues. I'm certainly going to go back and I'm certainly willing to play by their rules, so to speak, for great pizza. I just wish I knew what to expect ahead of time and could have planned better.

I forgot to mention the garlic bread. Soft as Wonder Bread. Kinda the opposite of crusty.

MBK wrote:i'm not the biggest burt's fan but i can't say its ever been "dirty." i don't think that would be the right word to use to describe a few unbussed tables.

All the tchotchkes *and* the light fixtures were in need of a thorough dusting.
I call that dirty.

sariks wrote:Nowhere in these postings about Burt's Pizza have I seen the caveat about calling first and ordering before you go there. If you don't do that and if you don't personally know Burt and/or his wife, they will be very rude to you.

Perhaps not "rude" but our experience was "certainly annoyed." A few weeks ago, a group in which I attended was originally six and then had two more surprise attendees and a 2-year-old on a weeknight (half the tables were empty), which really threw Mrs. Burt off her game for a long while. It was a last minute change from the patio at Hackney's due to the weather, and I arrived late from driving up from downtown. But there were basic issues like only remembering half the drink orders, etc. It was clear that we were, if not second class citizens, not preferred diners. Mrs. Burt was obviously trying her hardest. Now, I had some warning, so I was letting it slide, but others in our group were getting annoyed.

But as the evening went on, things got better. The pizza was very good while there, and the 1/3 of a pizza I got to take home was absolutely fantastic the next morning. In fact, I think I'd actually prefer it cooled off and a little congealed with time to let the flavors mix.

We shut the place down, as our group covered a fair part of the six-county Chicago area, had not seen each other in a few months was not in a hurry. Burt came out at the end, and we had a great conversation with him. I think that really changed the evening for those who started off a bit perturbed. Burt's really is like eating at your aunt and uncle's house, and you have to be willing to buy into that concept.

Will I go back on my own? Given my location, I'm not sure. I know I would never go on a weekend - it would be just too stressful. And I eat less pizza every year, as I eat far more Mexican and Asian cuisine than I did 10 years ago. I certainly regret not knowing about Burt's and his predecessors when I lived in Wilmette in the 80s and early 90s. I don't think I could generate the frequency of visiting to get me into that preferred group, and I think the experience is unfortunately a bit diminished without that level of effort on both sides.

We shut the place down, as our group covered a fair part of the six-county Chicago area, had not seen each other in a few months was not in a hurry. Burt came out at the end, and we had a great conversation with him. I think that really changed the evening for those who started off a bit perturbed. Burt's really is like eating at your aunt and uncle's house, and you have to be willing to buy into that concept.

I think, after five pages of this thread, the above quote is probably the most accurate portrayal about Burt and his way of doing business. I've known his family for 25+ years, and way before that, in high school, was actually thrown out of Pequod's by Burt himself when my friends & I were 'too rowdy'. Oh, BTW, we deserved it.

And, as BuddyRoadhouse has said, there's nothing personal to get offended about regarding some of these quirks. You embrace them & adapt. If you like the pizza enough (and I certainly do), you plan on visiting Burt's on a weeknight and/or calling the order in. I'd ten times rather think ahead of my pizza toppings for the evening rather than wait an extra half-hour to be served. Burt preferred it that way before the Saveur article, and I'll bet it's a damn near necessity now to keep the process nice & oiled.

Glad to see that the majority of LTHers see Burt's for the gem it is.

Heeding the many warnings in this thread, I'd like to call and pre-order my pizza before I head to Burt's (not today or tomorrow--assuming that he is still closed on Mondays and Tuesdays--but later this week). However, I don't have a menu....

Am I correct in assuming (a lot of that going on--and you know what they say about one who assumes) that Burt's is the kind of place that would not have an on-line menu--or even a website? I've tried searching just in case, but came up empty.