I also have never had anything other than pleasant service at Kuma's - and we were there once with a group of 16! None of whom, as far as I know, have tattoos.

I would mention, though, that our own pleasant experience happened on a weekday lunch, when things were generally relaxed...and if it's at all possible, I'd recommend weekday lunches as an optimal time for a visit to Kuma's. (I have no personal experience with dinnertime or weekends, though)

I also have always had good service, and great food @ Kuma's, and I am a short haired, conservative, suburban boy.

It may have just been a bad night, and moving the tables probably didnt help the poster and his group that had issues.

A lot of people have mentioned some of the beer issues with Kuma's. I stopped in on Friday afternoon and the draft lines were being repaired and only bottled beers were available. Hopefully, we'll see an improvement in the draft beer moving forward (to say nothing, unfortunately, of the availability of beers, in bottles or otherwise).

Buddy,

I have a feeling that your experience had more to do with cramming 11 people into their small inside dining space than anything else...I've felt cramped in there with four people in the dining area when it's busy.

FWIW, while *I* look like a member of the target Kuma patron crowd (sans tats) with my shaved head, thick goatee and basic frowning deameanor, my GF is not. GF is a very picky eater very easily made uncomfortable by the most small irritant but shes loves Kuma's as much as I do. Neither of us love heavy metal. We have had one less than spectacular experience there of the 10x or so we've been when it was very busy on a Friday and our order took forever, but the drinks kept coming, which kept me, at least, satiated, until the food arrived.

Bster

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:The crowd of "outsiders" that has been streaming into the place since the "Check Please" episode is akin to a bunch of plaid pants wearing, country clubbers from Barrington invading a gay S&M bar on Halsted Street (just an example, I have no idea if such a place exists either on Halsted or anywhere else for that matter) and expecting everything to change in order to make them feel more at ease. Gee, I wonder why the regulars aren't welcoming these folks with open arms.

As someone who grew up in Barrington and spends time at country clubs, I can tell you that the good S&M bars are on Clark, not Halsted.

Aside from that, I have never had anything but great experiences with the attitudes of the servers at Kuma's. I have been there with big groups, small groups, toddlers, drunks, people who make Goblin Cock jokes, etc and each time we were treated great.

I expect to hear complaints about the beer issue, prices, etc but bad service is something that surprised me. It just isn't the norm.

Jamie

Buddy Roadhouse opined:

There were some in my group (table moving guy in particular, but there were others too) who behaved like spoiled little girls who weren't getting their way.

Excuse me?

Anyway, as former waitress back in the day, I can't imagine one of my brethren objecting to a customer having a liquid lunch/dinner. The profit margin is far greater, and the service is far easier for a tab that will customarily easily exceed 20+ per patron. Geez. And if they are feeling put-upon now by the non-HM clientele drawn by "Check, Please", why on EARTH did they OK a visit from "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives"? Do they understand the ratings that show gets? Oy!

My advice to the waitress in question: Suck it up, Nancy. Fulfilling customer requests - like the no-fried-egg one - is your JOB!

Sounds like everyone was having a bad day.

Food was good though!

Some places do have a "no changes/substitution" sort of rule (no idea if Kuma's does or not).

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:nor, it would seem, are they interested in serving...

Couldn't disagree more.

Ralph, I don't understand how you can disagree with Buddy. I understand how your Kuma's experience could be totally different (mine at Kuma's has been, also), but I don't understand how anyone could read the experience Buddy's group had and come to any conclusion other than that, on that night with that waitress, his evaluation is roughly correct.

The one thing I would say is that, unlike Buddy, I wouldn't blame "Check Please." My cohorts and I are totally not the goth/tat/metal crowd, but on our two visits to Kuma's before "Check Please," we felt totally welcomed and well-treated. So people like me were coming in there before the "Check Please" people (who are probably more like me than not) were coming in, and being well-served. If Kuma's was doing that before, they can do it now. And they probably do, most of the time.

I think the waitress treated Buddy's group shabbily, mitigating circumstances and all. Re the guy who couldn't get a burger the way he wanted it to save his life, I can totally identify with his decision not to get a burger at all. I might have made the same choice. If that makes me a spoiled little girl (™ Buddy), so be it, but I don't think it does. Probably, if the waitress had explained in a friendly manner, "We can't do variations," rather than saying, "But that's why it's the Kuma Burger!!!," his attitude might have been different. I know mine would have been.

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:...and the insistence of some in the group that Kuma's change their way of doing business to suit our needs....

Looks like I need to add an additional entree to my Kuma's to do list.

Kuma's To Do List:

Offer tea and decaf
Offer non alcoholic beer
Cheaper-better veg burgers
Lower volume on Heavy Metal music
Quicker Service/Slower Service
Get rid of boxing machine/Bring back boxing machine
Child friendly art work on walls
Wider selection of wine (Reserve list)
Wider menu selection, tuna tartar, BBQ beef riblets, smoothies
Early bird specials to attract diverse age range
Valet parking
Buy 9 get 10th burger free
Loose unique identity, be all things to all people.
Franchise
- Be more accommodating to suburbanites with well developed sense of entitlement

G Wiv wrote:

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:...and the insistence of some in the group that Kuma's change their way of doing business to suit our needs....

Looks like I need to add an additional entree to my Kuma's to do list.

Kuma's To Do List:...
- Be more accommodating to suburbanites with well developed sense of entitlement

Agree with and appreciate the satirical point, but just wondering if this means you consider the waitress completely blameless in the affair. Because then we disagree.

G Wiv wrote:

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:...and the insistence of some in the group that Kuma's change their way of doing business to suit our needs....

Looks like I need to add an additional entree to my Kuma's to do list.

Kuma's To Do List:

Offer tea and decaf
Offer non alcoholic beer
Cheaper-better veg burgers
Lower volume on Heavy Metal music
Quicker Service/Slower Service
Get rid of boxing machine/Bring back boxing machine
Child friendly art work on walls
Wider selection of wine (Reserve list)
Wider menu selection, tuna tartar, BBQ beef riblets, smoothies
Early bird specials to attract diverse age range
Valet parking
Buy 9 get 10th burger free
Loose unique identity, be all things to all people.
Franchise
- Be more accommodating to suburbanites with well developed sense of entitlement

hilarious,

I agree Kuma's is fine just the way they are.

I also will add that I think 90% of the time a person gets back the attitude/vibe they are putting out. The other times someone may just be having a bad day.

riddlemay wrote:
Agree with and appreciate the satirical point, but just wondering if this means you consider the waitress completely blameless in the affair. Because then we disagree.

It seems that we have only heard one side of the story, so it would be impossible to draw any conclusion in that matter.

My standard order- Kuma burger , no bacon. (not that I don't love bacon, I just think it over powers the burger, and I want to taste the meat, not bacon and eggs, love the egg.) I've ordered it ten times that way, so, I am going to have to say it was the server that day.

Also, just curious, Buddy, did you wait your turn to be seated, or just start moving tables when your big group came in, something, just doesn't sound right about all this. I am a pre "check please" person, with no tats, no goth and live in Wicker Park, which they hate, and they do, as noticed by the sign they posted during the fall. Service has always been fine, not great, but not rude.

Interesting range of responses here. The one that interests me the most is stevez's comment that, "we have only heard one side of the story." This is true. However, I think if you read my post carefully you will see I offered a fairly balanced account of the evening. I did not put the onus of the issue solely on the waitress.

I stated quite clearly up front that some members of the group behaved quite badly. I wasn't being sarcastic when I referred to the one guy as a "spoiled little girl". He acted like a jerk with an overinflated sense of entitlement. As I stated, he started moving the tables without first asking if that was possible. I even tried to stop him from doing it.

As someone who has had to deal with that issue, both at Burt's and at Pequod's, back when Burt owned that place (how do you put two round tables together to make one long one? That logic always escaped the people who insisted on moving them), I know how aggravating that can be. It's as if someone comes into your house and starts moving the furniture around to suit their needs. Ridiculous.

I was also sincere in stating that I have nothing against Kuma's or the waitress. It was simply a bad fit for our group.

We wanted to talk; Kuma's plays heavy metal at a conversation killing volume-as is their right to do so.

We wanted to sit our eleven people all at one table; Kuma's, as I have now learned, is a small venue with limited space and cannot accommodate a group that size at one long table and does not want you moving the furniture around-as is their right to do so.

One guy wanted his burger without a fried egg on top; Kuma's is so focused on the integrity of their burger creations that they refuse to make any changes to their preparation-as is their right to do so.

None of these things is terribly out of line. But all of these things added up to an un-enjoyable evening for our group. It was as much the fault of the group for their choice of going to Kuma's as it was Kuma's fault for not accommodating the group.

I say all of this as a public service to other people who might be interested in trying Kuma's. The previous post that all of this is in response to, was aimed not at the core members of LTH who post on a regular basis and enjoy a wide variety of dining experiences, but rather at the casual visitors and lurkers who use LTH as an information resource.

These are people who may have never posted and probably never will. People who are looking for a good place to eat and they are turning to a reliable, respected source for information. There will be folks who will read my previous post; people with similar needs to my group that night, who will say, "Hmmm, maybe Kuma's isn't for us," thus saving great aggravation both for them and Kuma's.

Think of this in terms of the recent smoking issues that forced the play "Jersey Boys" to reblock the entire show because one oversensitive lunkhead was offended that the characters in the play were smoking on stage! If the theater had simply put up a disclaimer stating that there was smoking in the play and that potential audience members with sensitivity to smoke might want to reconsider purchasing a ticket, said lunkhead might have stayed home and minded his own business, thus sparing the cast and production crew the headaches of suddenly restaging and rethinking a play that has been in production here and away for several years.

I have nothing against Kuma's or the waitress. For what it's worth, I made sure she got a fat tip from our end of the table. I just think that Kuma's is not for everybody and I stated that fact however clumsily.

Buddy

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:One guy wanted his burger without a fried egg on top; Kuma's is so focused on the integrity of their burger creations that they refuse to make any changes to their preparation-as is their right to do so.

In the times I have been there, I think someone in my party has always made a deletion from the burger toppings without an issue. I think Kuma's is fine with things that start with "hold the...", so not sure why you were not able to order a Kuma's sans egg.

I imagine the main issue comes when someone tries to substitute, such as "Can I get the Led Zeppelin but instead of the bacon could you sub the hot dog from the Goiblin Cock"? or "ohhh, those frizzled onions sound yummo, could I get them on my Minsk instead of the kraut?".

Jamie

riddlemay wrote:

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:nor, it would seem, are they interested in serving...

Couldn't disagree more.

Ralph, I don't understand how you can disagree with Buddy. I understand how your Kuma's experience could be totally different (mine at Kuma's has been, also), but I don't understand how anyone could read the experience Buddy's group had and come to any conclusion other than that, on that night with that waitress, his evaluation is roughly correct.

For the record, I wasn't disagreeing with what was experienced. If you reread it, you'll note the statement I quoted was a broad assertion about Kuma's general preferences in clientel that would apply to all experiences, not this isolated server/encounter. That's what I was disagreeing with.

*"not" to "note" typo corrected*

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:Interesting range of responses here. The one that interests me the most is stevez's comment that, "we have only heard one side of the story." This is true. However, I think if you read my post carefully you will see I offered a fairly balanced account of the evening. I did not put the onus of the issue solely on the waitress.

Buddy,

I think your account is probably fairly accurate. I only made the comment in response to riddlemay's attempt to pin someone down on an opinion of something that he wasn't there to witness. Nothing personal intended.

stevez wrote:I only made the comment in response to riddlemay's attempt to pin someone down on an opinion of something that he wasn't there to witness.

I was attempting to pin someone down? That's news to me. I was trying to get more of Gary's thinking to help me understand more fully a POV he was already implicitly offering.

If I'd been trying to get Gary to voice a view on an issue he'd been avoiding, that would have been an attempt to pin someone down.

I agree with Buddy that his report did a very good job of fairly presenting the situation from all sides. But I think you agree with that, too.

If you accept the premise that Buddy's report was fair to all sides (and you, I, and probably Gary and everybody else here does accept that), then you accept that we can form valid opinions based on it, I think, without having to have "been there." I was looking to get a little more dimension on Gary's.

riddlemay wrote:

stevez wrote:I only made the comment in response to riddlemay's attempt to pin someone down on an opinion of something that he wasn't there to witness.

I was attempting to pin someone down? That's news to me. I was trying to get more of Gary's thinking to help me understand more fully a POV he was already implicitly offering.

If I'd been trying to get Gary to voice a view on an issue he'd been avoiding, that would have been an attempt to pin someone down.

I agree with Buddy that his report did a very good job of fairly presenting the situation from all sides. But I think you agree with that, too.

If you accept the premise that Buddy's report was fair to all sides (and you, I, and probably Gary and everybody else here does accept that), then you accept that we can form valid opinions based on it, I think, without having to have "been there." I was looking to get a little more dimension on Gary's.

I'm out.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:For the record, I wasn't disagreeing with what was experienced. If you reread it, you'll not the statement I quoted was a broad assertion about Kuma's general preferences in clientel that would apply to all experiences, not this isolated server/encounter. That's what I was disagreeing with.

Sorry to have misread you.

stevez wrote:Buddy,

I think your account is probably fairly accurate...Nothing personal intended.

Nothing personal taken. No problem.

riddlemay wrote:I was looking to get a little more dimension on Gary's.

A little more dimension on Gary's what?

Buddy

Does anyone know when Kuma's is scheduled to air on Diners, Drive-In & Dives? There was only a 10 minute wait for a table for 2 on Wednesday night at 7:00 PM and upon being seated, I realized things are about to get quite a bit more crowded once it's on that show.

As and aside, in addition to the almost non-exist wait, perfectly chilled Hop Stoopid on draft and sublime Iron Maiden burger, I had the distinct pleasure of exiting the restaurant only to find one of my favorite musicians of all time, Jeff Tweedy from Wilco, hanging out outside on the stoop.

I believe they were taping for Season 5, which would be some time November through January.

Just had lunch at Kuma's and it was packed, with a line - as usual
the Dark Throne was perfection - as usual
the mac and cheese - rich and creamy stuffed with lots o' mushrooms and bacon, just like I was craving.
The service was attentive and upbeat despite the crowd. I ate at the bar and even though I didn't order anything to drink but water and I noticed that I was the only one at the bar without a beer (save one lady with a soda) I was made to feel very comfortable about it -- even though I personally feel bad eating at the bar and not drinking. I digress....anyway...

I decided to post this time because although much has been written about the burgers here (and I don’t know that I would have have anything new or exciting to add other then being a proponent of the act of “skinny-ing” your buns) I don’t recall reading much written on the other foods available at the restaurant.

This time I also ventured into the fried calamari. I am sad to report that it was not good. I applaud the "throw everything in the fryer” technique employed for the dish. It made for a good guessing game, like when you order mixed tempura and don’t recognize the veggie right away. ("What do you think this is?" "is it squash?" "is it yam?" "perhaps a carrot?") I was very excited when I saw fried lemon, fried jalapeños and fried rosemary in addition the the generous portion of squid. However, the dish- quite literally- fell apart. It turned mushy fast and I was left with a plate of unappetizing oily fried bits separated from their foundations......

Sounds like you might have gotten a bad batch of the calamari. I've had it many times in the past and it's never suffered from those symptoms. It's probably my favorite fried version of calamari in the city.

Also on the non-burger front, has anyone tried the Hate Beak buffalo chicken sandwich? A buddy was going to try it at our recent outing until someone scared him off of it by saying that the chicken (fingers?) used for it was too dry the time they had it.

has anyone tried the Hate Beak buffalo chicken sandwich?

Yes and it's heaven. It's nice crispy texture (the chiken) creamy blue cheese and a nice spicy hot sauce on the pretzel roll. Seriously give it a try.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:Does anyone know when Kuma's is scheduled to air on Diners, Drive-In & Dives? There was only a 10 minute wait for a table for 2 on Wednesday night at 7:00 PM and upon being seated, I realized things are about to get quite a bit more crowded once it's on that show.

As and aside, in addition to the almost non-exist wait, perfectly chilled Hop Stoopid on draft and sublime Iron Maiden burger, I had the distinct pleasure of exiting the restaurant only to find one of my favorite musicians of all time, Jeff Tweedy from Wilco, hanging out outside on the stoop.

i was at the kuma's that very night. tweedy was just finishing his meal. as he was leaving he bumped into my son, "dad, jeff tweedy just said excuse me to me!"

it was quite an auspicious begining to our first vist to the kuma's. we actually ended up getting tweedy's table, and had a great time. the food was outstanding. there's nothing i can add to what already has been written about it other than andoullie and sun dried tomatoes in our macaroni.

i've been wanting to get to the kuma's for a while, and it's all been based on this site. i think buddyroadhouse is on to something. knowing his relationship with burt's place though, i can't help but laugh at the irony.

krm61965 wrote:i've been wanting to get to the kuma's for a while, and it's all been based on this site. i think buddyroadhouse is on to something. knowing his relationship with burt's place though, i can't help but laugh at the irony.

The irony escapes me. If you're so inclined, a little help in explaining it?