Katie Kraus was wearing a dirndl when she met her now-husband. For her, the traditional German dress with a tight-fitting bodice and apron couldn’t have been more “embarrassing.”
It was 2003 and she was waitressing during German Fest at Chicago Brauhaus, a Lincoln Square staple. She snuck glances at a “really cute” man who showed up that night with his friends. She’d seen him around the neighborhood before since he worked across the street at his family’s clothing store, Martin’s Big & Tall.
Katie got the feeling that the man, Jason Kraus, was checking her out too. They even both mentioned each other to another waitress, who helped make the introduction, she said.
“He was on his way out the door, and (the other waitress) literally put her hand on his shoulder, and said, ‘Where do you think you’re going? You’re not leaving without meeting Katie,’” she said. “So he turned around, came and introduced himself and the rest is history.”
Though the Brauhaus is now closed, they are still together decades later, recently celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary. Katie, the associate director at the Lincoln Square/Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce, wondered how many other love stories started at local small businesses.
Valentine’s Day seemed like the perfect time to find out.
For the past two years, the chamber has asked neighbors to submit tales of meet-cutes and first dates, which they share on social media. More than 30 couples have answered, Katie said. Three of them, including one who bonded on the dance floor at a holiday party at Hazel’s clothing story and another who reconnected at Daily Bar & Grill, shared their stories with the Tribune for the holiday.
“February is a blah kind of a month, and I think it gives people a little bit of entertainment and a little awe factor,” Katie said.
Making the first move
When a new sales associate walked into Hazel in 2014, Allison Tuley Garza first thought he was a customer. It was her manager that introduced her to the new hire, Mario Garza, and he instantly made an impression. Tuley Garza had already been working at the apparel store for about a year at that point.
“We chatted a little bit, and I think I made a sarcastic joke,” she said. “He left, and I said to my manager, ‘Oh, my gosh, he smelled so good.’ And she was like, ‘Oh, really now.’”
Mario easily fit into the “family vibe” at Hazel, and hung out regularly with Tuley Garza and her friends. As the months went by, she said she “caught feelings.” He had good fashion sense and was a “kind, sweet” person, she said.
But she wasn’t sure what he thought. Tuley Garza waited for him to make a move when they spent New Year’s Eve together, for example, but he never did.
About a month later, at the Hazel holiday party, Tuley Garza was fueled by some “liquid courage” and told her co-workers about her crush. They told her that Mario liked her, too. They then ended up together on the dance floor at Roscoe’s Tavern and she decided to make the first move instead, something she’d never done before.
“We were pretty much inseparable ever since,” Tuley Garza said. “He showed back up at Hazel the next day and was like, ‘We’re hanging out tonight, right?’”
David Vail, Hazel’s owner, called their romance a “lasting legacy” for the store. He said he could tell that there was a “spark” at the holiday party. Tuley Garza, 35, still works at Hazel, running its social media accounts. Mario works at his family’s beauty supply store.
Tuley Garza said she learned later that her now-husband — the couple got married in 2022 — hadn’t been in a relationship in a long time so he was acting extra cautious. But he’s since told her that he felt sparks when she helped him write an email.
“He found that really attractive, that I could just just handle that,” she said. “Like he felt like I was smart and knew what I was talking about, and he respected my opinion.”
Sitting at the bar
Kerry Slone and her husband, John Slone, have a tradition that whenever they go out to a local restaurant in Lincoln Square or Ravenswood, they sit at the bar side by side.
It all started during their first date at the Daily Bar & Grill. The couple went to high school together and reconnected in 2003 when John moved back to Illinois. After walking in the snow, they sat at the restaurant’s bar, eating burgers and drinking Bell’s Amber Ale. They never ran out of things to talk about, she said.
Slone, 49, said John spent more and more time at her place and in that neighborhood. They went to local spots for 10-cent wings and trivia, and ultimately decided to make the neighborhood their home. They got married in 2008 and have a daughter.
“It’s just one of those things, you just connect over the things that you like,” Slone said, adding “Within a month I remember telling my mom ‘I don’t think I’m ever breaking up with this guy. This is it.’”
‘Don’t take things too seriously’
In order to seal the deal, Jason said he had to make a few more stops at Chicago Brauhaus after he briefly met Katie during German Fest. He joked that part of the reason was after a few too many drinks he wasn’t in a state to “speak any sort of eloquent words.”
But he made a point to remember that the waitress who was “super smiley” and had a cute ponytail was named Katie. Jason, 49, then decided to come in the next night with a friend — who later would be the best man at their wedding.
“We stood there all night and I tried again talking to Katie, where she was sober and I was not,” he said. “So I think I was trying to be smart and just enjoy myself and let her work.”
Two days later, he tried again — this time with no drinks. He said he nervously introduced himself, and she agreed to go on a date, which he described as “epic.” Katie found out later that he also brought his mom to the restaurant on that third visit, although she didn’t meet her future mother-in-law then.
“I was wondering if she was gonna say that,” Jason laughed. “Hindsight 20/20 I would regret that, but it did happen … But I definitely did ask (my mom) to be my date to dinner so if anything did go awry I wouldn’t be there by myself.”
The couple still frequent neighborhood restaurants, although Katie said they gravitate more toward “family-friendly” eateries with their two children. Some of their favorites are Gideon Welles and Jerry’s Sandwiches. For Valentine’s Day she makes a “special, nice” dinner at home, Katie said.
After more than 20 years of marriage, she also shared some relationship advice for the holiday.
“Don’t take things too seriously, and always be there for each other,” she said.
