JJ Newberry Work Stories

Last night I got to thinking about the "good ol' days" when I was working in restaurants. There were some pretty funny incidents...and I just thought I'd write a few of them down...so I can recall them in years to come.
My first restaurant job was at the J.J. Newberry's lunch counter in downtown Portland. I was hired as a server...for $1.90 an hour. Although my job was serving breakfast and lunch to our customers, often I had to help out on the line. (Cooking.)
Portland is known as The Rose City. Each year we celebrate our Rose Festival. There are parades, contests, a carnival, an air show, the navy ships come in...it's a big thing. Lots of people come into town and lots of people get out and participate in the celebrations. The grand floral parade used to run down 3rd Avenue...right by Newberry's. Families camped out on the street to get the best views. They came in the store to use the restrooms and to grab a bite to eat. The lunch counter (and the other two snack bars) were busy from the moment we opened the doors, until closing time.
The first parade day I worked, my job was "toast." That's it. Just toast. I made toast for hours...and someone else ran the grill. The next year, it was my turn to run the grill. Making eggs, hash browns, pancakes, French toast, frying bacon, sausage etc. (Another new person made the toast.) Naomi, the head waitress, gave me a bit of advice on how to keep up. "Never turn around. You'll be fine if you just focus on the grill and don't turn around. Just make the orders as they come up. Don't turn around." Well, the orders started coming in. Quickly. And they just didn't stop. Hours went by and I was doing okay...but I just couldn't see and end to the breakfast rush. I couldn't stand it any longer...so I finally...turned around. I wish I hadn't done that. Every one of the stools was occupied and all I could see was a sea of munching faces...and behind each stool there were people waiting for their turn to sit down...six deep! I felt my heart stop. Naomi came over to pick up an order and I looked at her in terror. "WHAT did I tell you? DON'T TURN AROUND!" She shook her head and hurried off. I don't know how I got through that day...but I did.
Another good story involved my sister Amy. She was working at the hot dog counter. They had one of those roller machines that make the best hot dogs in the world. She served hot dogs and soft drinks...and chips. That sounds pretty easy...but she worked the counter alone. Which meant that she also had to take the cash, do the stocking and cleaning on her own. Someone from my lunch counter would check on her from time to time to see if she was in need of any supplies. She'd hand over a list, usually written on a paper napkin, of what she needed and we'd send the note up the dumb waiter, to the kitchen on the 3rd floor. Jean L. would fill the order and we'd take it back over to the hot dog counter.
This one day it was extra busy. The lunch rush was so crazy, that we didn't get time to check on Amy. Finally, Naomi asked me to go see how she was doing. I headed on over and saw that she was frantically running back and forth behind the counter, filling drink cups, slapping hot dogs in their buns, taking cash...she was, as we say in the restaurant business..."in the weeds." I stepped behind the counter with her and cheerfully said, "Hey there! What can I do for you?" I swear, Amy fell on her knees, dropped her head in her hands and cried out, "Thank GOD you are here!" All of the people at her counter looked over the top to see where she went. "Load up the hot dog roller!" she yelled...still on the ground. I did. Then I helped her up...and we got that whole mob fed. I've never felt anyone was ever happier to see me...than Amy was at that moment.
My last Newberry's story involves one of the biggest messes I've ever made. Ever. Anywhere. Newberry's was one of the last places on earth that had those wonderful grape and orange drink dispensers. The kind that perpetually mixed the sticky-sweet-fruity beverages right before your eyes. There were dual clear plastic tanks on top of a stand, with clear plastic tubing in the center of each tank...and the beverages would flow up the tubing and cascade down inside the tank...like a colorful fountain. The grape on one side, the orange on the other. Each week, the whole machine needed to be turned off, drained, washed, reassembled, filled and then turned back on. Not difficult...just time consuming. I had done it many times. This one time, I had gotten through steps one through five. The machine was cleaned and refilled...and ready to get turned back on. Almost. I had forgotten to do one little thing...and that was to put the lid back on. When I flipped the switch to turn it on...it was...like watching Old Faithful. Only instead of one spout spewing hot steaming liquid...it was two spouts, side by side, spewing orange drink and grape drink...all over the counter, the stools and the floor! It was indeed...the biggest mess ever. (But it did look kind of cool spouting up!)