It’s the old story: boy meets girl, boy marries girl, boy and girl move to Chicago and open up a French restaurant. OK, so maybe that’s not the old story–but it is the story of La Creperie, the Lincoln Park restaurant that this year celebrates its 30th anniversary.
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Germain waited on Sara and her friend that night. “She knew about two words in French,” recalls Germain. On top of that she wanted coffee. “But I had never served coffee before the meal. So I showed her the wine list.”
“It was the first time I ever had wine,” says Sara. After a few glasses and a meal, she finally got her coffee. By that time Germain was off the clock and offered to take them to a local pub, where everyone locked arms and sang sea chanteys. It made for a memorable evening.
For the first six months business in La Creperie’s two rooms was a little slow. “We had a small menu,” says Germain. “But then we were written up in the Sunday section of the Sun-Times. That same night there was a line at the door, and for the next five years there was a line at the door. We built up a steady clientele.”
