Lauren Rullo of Weber Grill Restaurants: What’s in Your Bag?

Lauren Rullo, Sales and Marketing Manager for Weber Grill Restaurants, books and handles all private and large group dining, catering, grill classes, as well as all off-premise and on-site grilling events for the entire Chicagoland market. She also works alongside the corporate marketing director to develop and support all marketing efforts.

Rullo began as a server for the original Weber Grill Restaurant in Wheeling, Mich., in 2004. Like a lot of hospitality veterans, Rullo thought she would work as a server for no more than a year and figure out her next move. Sixteen years later she’s still at Weber Grill and has amassed a strong passion for food, and event planning. She’s convinced that event planning is what she was born to do.

Rullo did leave Weber Grill for a short time. In 2009 she accepted a sales opportunity with Harry Caray’s. From there Rullo took an event planning job at Bucca di Beppo and then went back to serving for a brief stint at the Lucky Monk in Chicago. Looking for something more high-end, she applied for a serving job at Shaw’s Crab House. Once they found out she had a sales and catering management background, they promoted her to Sales and Marketing Manager. After several years at Shaw’s Crab House, an opportunity came up at a newly opened Weber Grill in St. Louis. Rullo decided to take the position. Weber Grill was her family and it was time to go home.

Rullo is a graduate of Valparaiso University with a bachelor’s degree in English. In 2016 she was awarded the Young Business Professional of the year by Chamber630, and then in 2018, she received the Under 40 Leadership Recognition Award by the Greater Oak Brook Chamber of Commerce. Rullo sits on the NextGen Executive Board for the DuPage Children’s Museum and is an advisor to the Vice President of Operations for her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma.

With the little free time, Rullo does have she spends it with her close friends and their children. She loves throwing them over-the-top birthday parties with crazy themes and spoiling them as often as possible. They call her Auntie Lolo, and she loves them all like they were her own.

The bag: Michael Kors Bedford Legacy Large Pebbled Leather Tote Bag

The essentials

• Duct tape: It’s no secret that duct tape can fix just about anything. So I am sure it’s no surprise that I see the value of always having some in my purse. I have fixed tables, cake stands, shoes, chairs, floral arrangements, strapless dresses, and wheels on trailers, just to name a few. It comes in handy for festivals with directing lines, hanging lights, menus, and as a Band-Aid if you’re desperate. On one occasion the parents of a bride had their window smashed in during a wedding, and while it was terrible, no one wanted to deal with it right then and there. So, I used duct tape to temporarily fix the hole in the window.
• Weber Grill thermometer: Food safety is always important in the restaurant business, and with events off-site, the risks become even higher. Taking food temps is important to ensure safety to our guests as well make as a quality statement. Weber Grills already have a legendary reputation when it comes to all things grilling, so I know I can trust that my thermometer is the best around.
• Storehouse flats: Some of my events have me running around non-stop for up to 15 hours, so regardless of how comfy my shoes are, there comes a point at which I need to switch them up. Storehouse shoes are very similar to another more expensive brand that I just can’t bring myself to purchase. I actually think they’re even better. They are made of all leather, fold up, and are like a hug for your feet. Plus, they have super cute limited edition prints each month which means I am bound to have a print match and sass up every outfit.
• Pink rhinestone multi-tool pocket knife: I have no problem with jumping into any situation and trying to fix the problem. I am a girly girl at heart, but I am not afraid to get my hands dirty when I need to. So if I were to carry a multi-tool foldable pocket knife, it, of course, would have to have bling on it. My mom gifted this to me back when I was in college. I was not all that excited to receive it as I would have rather gotten a gift card to go shopping. Little did I know that fast forward 10 years, it has become one of the most valuable tools for my job. It comes in handy all the time, looks good while I use it, and reminds me to be thankful for every gift, especially those that come from my mom.
• Tarte lip paints and Makeup Junkie bag: I always feel more put together and like I can conquer the world when I have my lips painted. I am obsessed with Tarte lip paint. It stays on all day, doesn’t rub off, isn’t sticky, and doesn’t dry out your lips. My current go-to color is Extra. It’s a killer red that goes with everything. Of course, I have several other shades that I love as well so I keep myself organized with my Makeup Junkie bags. They are a lifesaver because you don’t have to dig into the bottom of the black hole that a purse can become.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in the Summer 2021 issue of Seated magazine.