Manager Lynn Banks sits at legendary Table 13, where she says many of the ghostly events have occurred. (Tribune photo by Chuck Berman / October 16, 2008)

It's that time of year when Country House restaurant workers in Clarendon Hills answer as many questions about their ghost as about their half-pound burger.



Missy Dupre, the restaurant's hostess, says Country House doesn't brag about its alleged haunted history, but employees are trained to talk about it if need be.



As the story goes, an attractive blond woman who was dating a bartender back in the 1950s came in distraught, asking him to watch her baby. When he refused, she left, and died after driving into a tree.



Whether or not you believe the ghoulish tale, it's been repeated many times over the years — on the Discovery and Travel Channels, in local news reports and on haunted-house Web sites. Some employees have added their own spooky encounters to the running list — the smell of the ghost's perfume, the sound of her footsteps, napkins flying for no reason.



 

"I didn't believe it for a lot of years," says manager Lynn Banks, who's worked at the restaurant for 26 years. These days, she says, she's less sure. She's heard some strange noises herself.



In any event, Halloween season means that ghost-seeking diners request Table 13, take pictures in which they claim to have captured "orbs" and report strange noises in the bathroom.



Country House staff try to stay in good, ahem, spirits.



"We laugh it off," Dupre says. "It's like, 'Could you move your [tarot] cards so I can put your burger down?' "



vortiz@tribune.com