They're the not-quite-invisible people we see - yet don't see - whenever we go out to eat: the people who work in area restaurants.
Some, like hostesses and the wait staff, come into daily contact with customers. Others work behind the scenes and are rarely glimpsed by the public.
As the number of two-paycheck families continues to grow, Americans are finding themselves eating out more and more.
According to figures from the National Restaurant Association, restaurant industry sales are expected to total $399 billion this year, a healthy 5.2 percent increase over 2000. On a typical day, the restaurant industry will post average sales of $1.1 billion.
The people that work in those restaurants play a pivotal role in determining whether your dining experience will be truly memorable or downright disappointing. People like Annie Johnson, Gridgette Matthews, Johnny Campbell and Cynthia Strong.
Annie Johnson is the pastry cook at The Crystal Grill. If you've ever ordered a slice of one of The Crystal's homemade pies and been tempted to order a second piece because the first was so good, then you've tasted some of her artistry. She explains that the secret ingredient is love.
Bridgette Matthews began waiting tables at Yianni's after being laid off from a local manufacturing plant. And for anyone who has ever given in to the temptation to be rude to an overworked waitress, she offers a thought-provoking suggestion.
Johnny Campbell works at Shoney's, where he imparts a sense of quiet dignity to his duties as "the general."
Cynthia Strong also works at Shoney's as a hostess and certified trainer. Anyone who has watched her calm hungry customers waiting impatiently for a table to be cleared so that they can be seated, or quiet a fussy child, might be surprised to learn that she is almost shy in person. She shares what her job has taught her about people.
Here, in their own words, are their stories.
Annie Johnson
I'm a pastry cook. I cook the pies, the rolls, the cornbread. But I also help out in other areas, like make the gumbo. I've been here a long time - 21 years - and I can do just about anything there is to do.
I started cooking at home, when it was just me and my mother and father and brothers and sisters. There were 12 children in the house, so I got lots of practice.
I love to cook. I take pride in my cooking. I enjoy seeing people sit down and enjoy my cooking. Everybody I cook for tells me it's good. I tell you the truth, I honestly cannot remember anybody ever saying that they did not like my cooking in all the years I've been here. Praise God.
I wish I had counted all the pies I cooked during the holidays. I really do. Seems like I just cooked and cooked and cooked. Some days, I must have cooked 20 pies, I know. One day I made eight cheesecakes, and they were so good.
I cook one cake I call the earthquake cake. They love it. You put in cream cheese, eggs, chocolate. … It's so good.
I've gained some weight over the years, because, you know, you have to sample what you cook. … But, blessed be God, I don't think I've gained too much.
My oldest son, Walter Dale, he likes to cook, too. And I have another son, Charles Dale, likes to cook some. When they were young, just growing up, I taught them some and they just went from there.
I haven't ever entered any cooking contests, but I'd like to do that some day. I tell you the truth, I love what I do. I still get a thrill out of cooking. I really do.
My husband asks me sometimes, "Don't you ever get tired of cooking?" That's because I cook all day, come home, cook for my family, and I do a lot of cooking for my church. But I just enjoy doing it. I feel that this is a gift God has given me.
Did I mention that I attend the Greater Pentecostal Church of God in Christ? On McLean Street? I know our pastor would like that. We do a lot of cooking there.
Bridgette Matthews
I started waiting tables after I got laid off at Takata. I worked on the line there. I was a group leader.
I didn't think I would like waiting tables at first. It was something I had never done before. It was all new to me.
When I first started, I told (owner) Elaine, "Mrs. Isaak, if I don't catch on to this in two weeks, you won't have to fire me. I will fire myself." That was seven and a half years ago. We laugh about that now.
I thought I would be afraid to work with the public. I was nervous. And, quite honestly, I thought everybody was going to be snooty and snotty, because this is a nice restaurant. But they're not that way at all. I've met lots of really nice people since I started working here.
I feel like everyone should wait tables at least once in their life, just so they can experience what it's like first-hand. Before I became a waitress, I would see people being mean to a wait person.
But once you do this kind of work yourself, you begin to think about it in a whole new way. I feel like it's made me a better person. You learn to treat people the way you would want to be treated.
Sometimes, when people find out I'm a waitress, they ask, "How do you survive just by waiting tables?" When I tell them that since I started working here I have been able to buy a new house and a new car, they don't believe me. If someone had told me that I would be making this kind of money before I started, I wouldn't have believed them, either. I'm just thankful I was given this opportunity.
Don't get me wrong, it's hard work. But I love my job and I love the people I work with. I wouldn't take anything in the world for it.
Johnny Campbell
I'm the general. General dishwasher. That's what they call it. I wash the dishes, change the sign out front, pull weeds in the flower bed. I do a little bit of everything. I've been here four years.
The hardest part, for me, is the outside work, like pulling weeds. That's because I'm an inside man. I'm the general.
I work another job, too. I'm a stocker over at Big Star on Highway 82 East. It gets a little tough sometimes, working two jobs, yes sir. Real tough. If you lose your concentration, forget what's important, you can slip up.
But mostly I'm pretty upbeat. For me, every day's a good day. If I ever find myself starting to have a bad day, right away I talk to the man upstairs. If it gets really bad, I'll walk outside for awhile.
It's a gift, being able to maintain yourself so you don't get down. I trust in the Good Lord 100 percent. That's the only thing that keeps you going, because man will let you down. …
I do maybe 25 loads of dishes a day. That's a lot of dishes. While I'm working, I think about different things. I'll think about being with my friends, think about work, about getting along. Sometimes, I think about getting back in school. I'm going to do that, I really am. You know, the older you get, you've got to think ahead. I've got 10 brothers and sisters. We're a big family, and you've got to think ahead.
Once, I got a certificate from the district office for being named the outstanding general in the whole district. I felt proud, because I think I deserved it.
Cynthia Strong
I started at Shoney's as a cashier. Now I also help to train the new people who come in.
I came here to eat one night and I was looking around, and I said to myself, "I can do that." So I filled out an application and I got the job.
We get real busy at times, and the line can get pretty long. If there's a whole bunch of people standing up here, waiting to be seated, I try to make it pleasant for them. Most of the people understand they won't have to wait very long. But there are a few, they insist on being seated like right now. When I get somebody like that, I try to talk to them, play with the kids if they have any, and reassure them that we'll get them seated just as soon as we can.
I try to make sure that no one gets upset and ruins their meal. I feel like that's just all part of my job.
I have four sisters and five brothers - I'm the oldest - so I've had lots of experience dealing with people. I also feel like I'm a good listener. That's just something I picked up on my own.
I've been here five years now, and I think I can do my job real good. I started training people after they came to me and said they had been watching me and they liked the way I handled the cash register, and they liked the way I interacted with the people. That made me feel good. Real good.
You can't always tell who's going to be good in this work and who isn't. People will surprise you. They may not do real good the first couple of days, but give them a week and they start catching on.
For somebody who's just starting, it's important to ask questions - lots of questions - and to pay attention, to know how to talk to other people, and to have a good attitude.
That's why I always try to make sure my own attitude is good. I love my work. Five years from now, I'd like to be in management.
