We met Toni one night at our favorite Mexican restaurant when we decided to have dinner in the bar instead of the dining room. By the time she had taken our order, we knew it would be a very enjoyable evening. Toni has a quick wit and a wonderful self-deprecating humor, which she uses very effectively during the times when things get really busy.
Toni has been tending bar for 20 years and that experience shows in how she keeps track of orders and maintains conversations with the patrons at the bars and tables. I always enjoy watching professionals go about their work. They are typically able to make things appear effortless and rarely look rattled. Toni does all that and keeps people laughing in the process. In my book, she’s a real pro. That’s why if she’s working, we’re eating in the bar.
What is your job title? Bartender
What do you like most about your work? Making people happy!
What is the hardest part of your job that no one knows about? Dealing with the people who don’t know where the boundaries are. Some folks think since I’m just a bartender they can yell at me and be ugly.
If you weren't doing this work, what kind of work would you be doing? I’d be a midwife. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and I plan to go back to school to get the training I need.
If you could go back in time and talk to yourself at age 16, what would you tell yourself? Stay in school, graduate, go to college, and make something of yourself!
