The Deli Blog-The Good Ones

     The old saying goes, Good Help is Hard to Find. Truer words were never spoken. We had no idea when going into the food business the aggravation we'd face when it came to hiring, firing, training and retaining employees.
     Over the course of our eight year run, I suspect we had upwards of 75-100 employees. I never suspected that type of turnover. I'm torn whether to share some of our horror stories. I probably will soon, but I'm debating what good it'll do. The only summary I come to is... that you the reader will likely finish reading that blog with the exclamation.... OMG!
      So, I'll tell you about the good ones for now. They met the following criteria everyday: 1) Always on time 2) Could find something to do 3) Tried to help others and 4) Team player. That's all we expected. Of the 75-100 previous B.A.D. employees, Teresa and I can think of seven who met those benchmarks. They are:

Brodie Calley
Martin Edwards
Ashley Jenkins
Marcos Rios
Robbin Smith
Alex Dreith
Pat McInerney

     Brodie was one of our original B.A.D. guys. It was a long time ago, but I remember he was never late and he could do absolutely everything. He was 16 years old at the time and I was comfortable leaving him the keys. I think what impressed me the most was he was smart. He had goals. And, he was completely comfortable in his skin.
      I remember visiting with Brodie during the interview process, but before I hired anyone. He had his boots up in a chair with a real 'I could sit here all day long' look on his face.
       "Whatcha think," I asked.
       "I'm wondering if I want to work here."
       "Oh," thinking don't let the door hit you.
        "I think I do."
        Update: Brodie married last year. He has his degree from Texas Tech. He and his wife have returned to Scurry County. I always told him that he should be mayor of Snyder.

     Martin might be the most honest, hard-working man I've ever met. If y'all don't know Martin from the deli, you might know him as the 'guy who walks everywhere in Snyder.' To say Martin and his wife, Rachel, have less than a few nickels to rub together is a tremendous understatement.
      He and Rachel came in one day during lunch. Over the counter, I think I asked "What can we do for you?"
      "I need a job," he said.
      "Leave your name and number with Teresa."
      The guy looked rough. We didn't really need anyone at that time. And, he hit me up for work during our lunch hour. As far as I was concerned, I wasn't very interested.
       That evening, Teresa asked "did you call that man.... the guy who came in at lunch asking for a job?"
       "No."
       "I think you should. He seemed honest and really sincere."
       One thing led to another, and Martin came to work at B.A.D. In fact, he was the last employee out the door after we closed.
        Martin was the type who made it easier on everyone else and because he did, most everyone else took advantage of him.
        His idea of on time was at least one hour early for work everyday. By the time all the others showed up, usually late, he'd already done all their pre-opening chores. He was also the type we could count on to never complain about staying late.
       Staff wise tardiness to work became such an issue that I offered 'on-time' incentives. The last one was: Show up early to work, clock-in no more than 10-minutes early and we'll pay your hourly wage for every one of those minutes you're early.
       Martin was the only employee in the year and a half of that incentive to ever get the 'early pay.' The only one!!!
      Update: Martin's now working at another local restaurant. Rachel's been at United going on four years. They have a car, but only Rachel drives. Martin's a friend to us and many of his former B.A.D. customers.

      Ashley's interview started with, "You may recognize me. I was homecoming queen at Snyder High."
      I don't know if she'd waited tables before or just came from good family stock, but she hit the floor running. Nothing was too much trouble for Ashley. I saw her once wait on the entire dining room when the person who was supposed to be manager-on-duty called in sick.
      She knew practically everyone in town, didn't gossip about them and treated all of them as special.
       She graduated, went off to college but would return for school breaks and summer. We always breathed a little easier when we knew Ashley was working.
       We had a saying when counting who was working the floor on any particular day. We'd count the individuals, but when we got to Ashley we'd say, 'she counts as two.'
       Update: Ashley received her teaching degree from Texas Tech University. She now teaches at Snyder Christian School, recently engaged, and scheduled to marry this year.

     Marcos was our 'singing waiter' and he was really, really good at doing both jobs simultaneously. Marcos started at the coffeehouse and then moved to the deli. He'd never waited tables, but you'd never guess it. He actually studied the menu! Wow! What a concept.
     I don't know how Marcos started singing at the deli, but he soon became a regular at lunch. He'd wait tables, take the stage, wait tables, and take the stage. It was not uncommon to hear him holler out in mid-song: "Table three! Need anything? Is your tea okay?"
      Marcos will tell you, He'll tell anybody that he's faced down his demons. We were indeed blessed to be part of that successful journey.
      Update: Marcos is now a traveling singer/songwriter and film maker. If he's not in Snyder, he's in Austin. Check him out on Face book.

      Robbin rose from very quiet coffeehouse barista to complete family friend and wonderful assistant. She's tackled every job from making espresso to payroll to the IRS. In a simple sentence: Robbin Smith saved our fannies. "Thank you" written in all caps and on any blackboard 1,000 times is not enough.
      Update: Robbin's still with us working as our family's comptroller, friend, and voice of reason. She's also a dispatcher with the Scurry County Sheriff's Office.  Such a calm voice.

     Alex, the waiter with the "X" factor. I can't explain it. It's just "X" and Alex had it in spades. Alex worked for us while he attended WTC. I remember a consummate team player. Everyone liked Alex, but he never let that interfere with what we expected while he was on the clock. Even when he did venture beyond the typical waiter mode, like Karaoke night, he brought down the house.
      Alex became known as "Sweet Caroline" man. He'd take the stage every Thursday Karaoke Night with his rendition of Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline." Before we knew it, customers were standing, cheering, and of course singing.... "So GOOD! So GOOD!" When he was done singing and the crowd done cheering, Alex would go back to work.
      Update: Alex left B.A.D. and Snyder. He's joined the corporate word. He jetted off to SoCal for awhile. Now, he's back in the St. Louis area. Go Cards!

     Finally, Pat. We called him Mr. Pat because he was 70+ years old. He started as a friend to Teresa and myself. Then, he became a regular afternoon customer. Then, I asked him, "Mr. Pat, would you come work for us a couple of times a week?"
     "Doing what?"
     "Just being you."
     "Whatcha gonna pay me?"
     "Whatcha want?"
     "Two Guinness and $20 per shift. I can work Monday, Wednesday and Friday 11:00-1:00p."
     "Hired!"
     Mr. Pat was great for a lot of reasons but mostly because he gave a damn about people. He was already serving "Meals on Wheels" and driving the Scurry County Senior Center Bus. He cared. And because he was older, he treated men like gentlemen and women like ladies. He took care of people, young and old. He also had the wonderful ability to corral the younger staff and get them to take on projects they'd normally just walk on by without noticing.
      He was ALL Irish and ALL Chicago. He loved his Bears and gave me constant grief about my Saints.
     Update: Pat and his wife, Patsy, left Snyder for Olney, TX. Now, they're in Houston. We haven't seen them in awhile, but sure miss them.

      So, those are the good ones. I guess 7 out of 75-100 isn't too bad. It's about 10%, right?  A lot of others came close to making the 'good ones' list, but fell short for a variety of reasons. The thing T & I have noticed is that the "Good Help is Hard to Find" saying is applicable to more than just Snyder. We've traveled a lot. And many times, we've had to admit: "See, it's not just Snyder that has employment problems."

Bill Robertson, Thanks y'all! The others spiked my blood pressure, but we counted on each of you more than we can explain.