This week’s six-word story: working 16 hours for 30 cents
By Bill Quain
If someone told you they made 30 cents for 16 hours of work, you probably wouldn’t believe them. That’s what my business partner Gene McHugh and I made in our Ocean City restaurant (the Surfside, corner of 34th and Wesley) on our first day of business. It was the summer of 1973, just before Memorial Day. The weather was cold and rainy. We opened for breakfast at 7 a.m. and closed at 11 p.m. Only one customer came in all day. He ordered two cups of coffee, at 15 cents each. However, I am happy to report that 30 cents was our worst day of business!
It seemed like a good idea.
Both Gene and I were college students. This was the summer between our junior and senior year. The previous summer, I leased and ran a small hotel called the Arlington. I made a ton of money that year and was able to pay for most of my college tuition. However, there is a big difference between renting out rooms and running a restaurant. Gene and I created the menus, ordered the food, hired staff, did all of the cooking, and then cleaned up the place at the end of the night, mopping floors, washing pots, draining the fryer, and getting the cash to the bank. It was hard work. In the end, I only made about half of what I did the summer before! However, I learned a lot of lessons – mostly about people. Imagine being a 21-year-old student and hiring other college kids to work as servers. Then, there were the customers! Most of them were really nice, but wow, there were some who I still remember today.
I’d like my money back, please.
One woman really stands out. She told the waitress that she wanted to speak to the manager, and I came out, wiping my hands on my apron, to see what she wanted. “I didn’t really like the pancakes,” she said. “I’d like my money back please.” Now, sometimes the food at our restaurant wasn’t what it should be – overcooked or undercooked, too salty, etc. – but this customer was just finishing the last bite on her plate! I couldn’t believe it. At first, I thought it was a joke, but she was serious.
And then, there was ‘Toast Man’.
Toast Man’s real name was Jeff. I think his father was a VP for Scott Paper. (By the way, if anyone knows where Jeff might be, please tell him I’d love to get in touch. He was 13 or 14 in 1973, so he’d be about 63 now.) This kid was great, and what a hard worker! He had only one problem. We paid him 50 cents an hour and all he could eat. I think he was the most expensive employee I’ve ever had!
We called him “Toast Man” because we were so busy at breakfast that all he did was make toast. Now, I wasn’t sure what the child labor laws were then. I was always worried that we’d get in trouble for having a 13-year-old working for us. I once told him “Jeff, if a man comes in here wearing a tie, and asks you how old you are, just say ‘I don’t know. I’ll ask my brother,’ and then run out the back door. Don’t come back until the next day.” What a great guy!
The dunes till dawn, then grill!
In those days, there was a bar called “The Dunes.” The slogan was “Dunes ‘till Dawn.” It opened at 11 p.m. and closed when the sun came up. I can remember coming out of the Dunes, rushing over to the Surfside, putting home fries on the grill, running into the bathroom, and then coming back to the grill to flip the potatoes… and then, repeat! Oh, to be young again – no thanks!
8 hours, on your day off
We eventually cut back on the operating hours and were open 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. Gene and I took one “day off” each. However, on your “day off,” you still had to be there at 6 a.m., and get through the crazy breakfast and almost as crazy lunch rush. However, then, on that sacred day, you got to leave at 2 p.m.! The other guy closed and cleaned at 9 p.m. I gotta tell ‘ya, it was like having a whole week off! When you walked out at 2, you had the rest of the day to yourself. Beach? Sleep? Dinner anywhere else but our restaurant? It was all yours for the taking!
Grill mates and lifelong best friends
Do you want to get to know someone? Go into the restaurant business with them. Stand side-by-side on the grill, even when you’ve been out all night. Sweep, mop, clean, plan, and sweat all day long. You’ll either try to kill each other or become solid friends for life. Even now, if I needed Gene or he needed me, it would only take an ask.
Tell us your summer work stories.
How about you? Did you ever have a summer job at the shore? How about sending in your story? I’ll collect them and run a column for Labor Day weekend.
By the way, if you ever worked with me at Watson’s, Dean’s Restaurant, The Golden Inn, Al’s Deli, or any other place, let me know how you are doing. Specifically, Holly Parker, Gary Vetters, Linda Implazio, Beth Phander, Steve Vogt, Cathy Ann Graf, Rosemary Wilson, Mary Flannery, Pete Davis, or the amazing Toast Man – I’d love to hear from you. Just shoot a note to bill@quain.com.
As I say each week: I’ll see ‘ya in the papers!
Bill is a Professor in Stockton University’s Hospitality Management Program. He is the author of 27 books, and a highly-respected speaker. Even though he is almost totally blind, Bill is a long-distance runner and runs the Ocean City Half Marathon each year. He lives in Ocean City with his wife Jeanne, and his Guide Dog Trudy. Visit www.billquain.com or email him at bill@quain.com.
