Check, Please!
Encyclopedia
Check, Please! is a popular restaurant
review program that airs on Chicago
's PBS member station WTTW
. The show first aired in 2001.
The format of the show is very simple: three everyday people, from anywhere in the greater Chicago area, sit down with a host to discuss three eating establishments, one favorite chosen by each guest.
Before the program is taped, each person chooses a favorite restaurant, and everyone in the group is required to visit each person's selection.
Afterwards, everyone describes their eating experiences.
Although many participants select trendy, upscale restaurants, just about any eating establishment is fair game including hot dog
stands and "neighborhood joints".
The show has become a huge success in the Chicago area; indeed, the waiting list to appear on the show has exceeded 27,000 people.http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/sunpub/geneva/top/2_6_2_TC15_CHECK_S1.htm
Check, Please!s popularity has inspired spin-offs
in several other markets. A San Francisco
version of the show, Check, Please! Bay Area, began its first season in 2005, airing on KQED. A Miami version for WPBT
, Check, Please! South Florida, debuted in January, 2008. A Kansas City version for KCPT
began in 2009, and a Phoenix version for KAET
began in 2010. A Seattle version begins in 2012.
's former sister-in-law.
In October 2003, Amanda Puck was replaced with Alpana Singh
, formerly sommelier
at Chicago's Everest restaurant and currently Director of Wine and Spirits for Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises
.
The Executive Producers are David Manilow, Joel Cohen and V.J. McAleer.
David Manilow oversees all operations of the show and the brand.
on Thursdays with a chef from a restaurant reviewed in the previous week.
The chef shows how to perform a signature recipe and Singh pairs it with a wine or port.
Chicago Tonight often features 5–7 minute segments that promote other programming on WTTW.
was finally premiered on WTTW, days before his presidential inauguration.
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
review program that airs on Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's PBS member station WTTW
WTTW
WTTW channel 11 is one of three Public Broadcasting Service member public television stations serving the Chicago, Illinois market; the others are WYCC and WYIN. WTTW began broadcasting on September 6, 1955 and it is owned and operated by Window to the World Communications, Inc., a not-for-profit...
. The show first aired in 2001.
The format of the show is very simple: three everyday people, from anywhere in the greater Chicago area, sit down with a host to discuss three eating establishments, one favorite chosen by each guest.
Before the program is taped, each person chooses a favorite restaurant, and everyone in the group is required to visit each person's selection.
Afterwards, everyone describes their eating experiences.
Although many participants select trendy, upscale restaurants, just about any eating establishment is fair game including hot dog
Hot dog
A hot dog is a sausage served in a sliced bun. It is very often garnished with mustard, ketchup, onions, mayonnaise, relish and/or sauerkraut.-History:...
stands and "neighborhood joints".
The show has become a huge success in the Chicago area; indeed, the waiting list to appear on the show has exceeded 27,000 people.http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/sunpub/geneva/top/2_6_2_TC15_CHECK_S1.htm
Check, Please!s popularity has inspired spin-offs
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
in several other markets. A San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
version of the show, Check, Please! Bay Area, began its first season in 2005, airing on KQED. A Miami version for WPBT
WPBT
WPBT is a PBS member public television station that serves the entire South Florida region, and even including portions of the Treasure Coast, the only television station to serve the entire metropolis...
, Check, Please! South Florida, debuted in January, 2008. A Kansas City version for KCPT
KCPT
KCPT virtual channel 19 is a Public television station in Kansas City, Missouri serving the greater Kansas City metropolitan area as a Public Broadcasting Service member station....
began in 2009, and a Phoenix version for KAET
KAET
KAET is a full-service television station in Phoenix, Arizona, owned by the Arizona Board of Regents and operated by Arizona State University as a PBS member station. It broadcasts in digital on VHF channel 8 in the Phoenix metropolitan area from its transmitter on South Mountain...
began in 2010. A Seattle version begins in 2012.
Host
The first two seasons of the show were hosted by Amanda Puck, who is Wolfgang PuckWolfgang Puck
Wolfgang Johannes Puck is an Austrian-American celebrity chef, restaurateur, businessman and occasional actor. Wolfgang Puck restaurants, catering services, cookbooks and licensed products are run by Wolfgang Puck Companies, with three divisions...
's former sister-in-law.
In October 2003, Amanda Puck was replaced with Alpana Singh
Alpana Singh
Alpana Singh is a sommelier and local television personality in Chicago, Illinois.-Career:Singh passed the Court of Master Sommeliers' advanced certification test at age 21. In 2003, she passed the final exam to become the youngest woman ever to achieve the rank of Master Sommelier...
, formerly sommelier
Sommelier
A sommelier , or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, commonly working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food matching...
at Chicago's Everest restaurant and currently Director of Wine and Spirits for Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises
Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises
Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises is a group of approximately 70 restaurants founded by Rich Melman and Jerry A. Orzoff in Chicago, IL in 1971.-History:The first restaurant was R.J...
.
Producers
The concept was developed by David Manilow and Joel Cohen.The Executive Producers are David Manilow, Joel Cohen and V.J. McAleer.
David Manilow oversees all operations of the show and the brand.
Chicago Tonight segment
Beginning in the fall 2007 Singh began making weekly appearances on Chicago TonightChicago Tonight
Chicago Tonight is an evening television news program broadcast weeknights on WTTW in Chicago. Chicago Tonight reports primarily on local news and presents features showcasing local artists and events. The show started in 1984 and for 15 years popular Chicago broadcast journalist John Callaway...
on Thursdays with a chef from a restaurant reviewed in the previous week.
The chef shows how to perform a signature recipe and Singh pairs it with a wine or port.
Chicago Tonight often features 5–7 minute segments that promote other programming on WTTW.
Lost episodes
On January 16, 2009, a previously unaired, August 2001 episode (Dixie Kitchen), which featured the then Illinois state senator Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
was finally premiered on WTTW, days before his presidential inauguration.