Bob Chinn, founder of namesake Wheeling crab house, dies at 99

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Bob Chinn, the namesake of the iconic crab house in Wheeling, has died.

The restaurant, at 393 S. Milwaukee Ave. in Wheeling, announced Chinn's death on Facebook on Friday evening.

"To know him was to love him and he was known by so many. His larger-than-life personality and famous tastebuds gave us 99 fantastic years of excitement, innovation, and countless smiles," the restaurant's post read. "Everyone who has walked through the doors of his eponymous restaurant has been a part of this incredible journey and we'd like to thank you all."

According to a biography from the restaurant, Chinn was born March 2, 1923 as the third of seven children in Duluth, Minnesota. His parents, Wai and Yung Shee Ong Chinn, were immigrants from Toishan, China.

Chinn moved to Chicago with his family as a youngster. His parents owned an Uptown restaurant called the New Wilson Village, and they lived about two blocks north of Wrigley Field, the restaurant said.

By the age of 14, Chinn was delivering Chinese food himself. He went on to serving three years in the Army during World War II, according to the restaurant.

After a fire damaged his parents' restaurant, Chinn salvaged the kitchen equipment and started a carryout business called the Golden Pagoda in Evanston, according to the crab house. He later opened the House of Chan in Wilmette and later the Kahala Terrace – and finally Bob Chinn's Crab House in Wheeling just before Christmas 1982, according to Chinn's bio.

The restaurant expanded and became the fourth top grossing independent restaurant in the United States, Chinn's bio said.