IN THE BEGINNING....

I began in this business, in 1986 due to a fight I had with my husband.

At that time I had two children ages 7 and 3. The house was usually cleaned by 10:30 so I was twiddling my thumbs for most of the rest of the day, cleaning sticky fingers and scraping Play-Do out of the carpet.

This was in the day before computers, and the kids were getting tired of me lugging them to the library, as again, in those days things like Barnes and Noble did not exist. Gratefully so, as I probably would have spent a mint. I know since the advent of PC’s, software, and grand book stores I have.

I don’t remember what the fight was about, however all I do remember was saying, “That’s it! I’m leaving for a bit. YOU take care of the kids!”

I drove about aimlessly for a while, then decided to stop in a restaurant for a bite to eat and a glass of wine to cool down.

I got to talking to the bartender about the help wanted sign, asking if it was for a hostess position.

At that point of my thinking, I agreed with myself that I needed SOMETHING to do that didn't involve Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers and Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches. My adult contact was with the soap, “All My Children.”

The job was for a waitress, and I guess they were desperate, as I was hired on the spot, even though I said I had no training as a waitress.

“That’s OK,” the manager said, “we will train you.”

Sheri was the waitress who trained me, and for approximately ten years we were best friends. She was 5 years younger than me, something she always pointed out.

We had worked at several restaurants together throughout that time frame, and when we weren't working together we would talk on the phone daily at 9 a.m. over coffee, uninterrupted as our kids were in school.

Occasionally we would have a girls night out, just sitting and chatting till all hours at various other establishments.

Once I treated her to an Ambassador East vacation with Pump Room delights.

While she remained in her choice of only waiting on tables, I moved on to management. In a pinch, I could always call on her to be a fill in waitress if I needed one wherever it was I happened to be working.

She was smart on her toes, and very outspoken. Her style of waiting on tables was to be bluntly honest. “I have NO idea of what that is, do you?” she’d ask the customers regarding a dish they were trying to order with strange Franco-Italian names. “I’m only here to help Anne.”

They loved her, and even after she left, many still requested her.

“You should have SEEN the tips I made when I was pregnant!” she would laugh. “Almost makes me want to put a pillow in my pants now!”

While she would help me out in a pinch, she preferred her own customer base where she was working.

Customer bases are a life saver. It’s like a waitress’s Roll-a-Dex.

Some customers actually LOVE and follow a server from place to place. It’s like a family type of deal. Birthday and Christmas presents are exchanged. I believe customers follow their favorite servers because of the familiarity, and liking their style. It’s a boost of confidence on both levels.

For several years, working together or not, I would always drive to pick her up (as she had epilepsy and could not drive) and we would dash off to a restaurant in the town we lived in that had the new fangled cable TV.

Every night, the bartender and the usual crowd would say, “Oh they’re here,” as the bartender would turn on THAT GIRL with Marlo Thomas. It was understood by our repeated presence that for one hour the cable was ours.



I am sure that most if not all thought we were the biggest dorks, and we probably were. The way we looked at it was, after long and hectic nights of major rushes, it was nice to watch an old TV show with homespun values, comedy, and with someone much more attractive than Lucy. It took the edge off.

Throughout the years I've gotten to know several regular customers who followed me from restaurant to restaurant. I have always told them that I am ROTTEN on remembering names, and as a fluke it began with them making up nicknames for themselves, even when they made reservations.

They know my name, which really is all that matters. Familiarity with customers, and they with you is a welcome pat on the back, especially in this business where most customers treat you like a servant.