High School Jobs

     My first job was working as a busboy at Zimmerman's Cafeteria in Jennings.  My Dad knew the owner so I was hired just on Dad's request.  I was paid 75 cents an hour plus tips the waitress gave me.  Since this was my first job I was nervous because I wanted to do well.  I was quiet which is a term I would not be accused of in my current life.  In addition to the hourly pay a meal of my choice was provided.  The job was simple; I cleaned up the tables of the dirty dishes, filled the condiments, swept up, whatever they needed.  As I said, it was pretty simple but I took it seriously because it was my job.

     Sometime later I got a better job as the pot washer (maybe $1.25/hr) at working at Hendrickson's cafeteria, which later became Hendricks cafeteria when a new owner took over.  The cafeteria was located on Union and Cote Brilliante, not the best part of town but much better than it is today.  My buddy Bill Louis was working there and got me the job. I'm not exactly sure how he got his job there but it was probably because his Dad knew someone.  That's generally how young kids got their first job, networking was around then although there wasn't a name for it then.  It was a fun job not because the work was great but there were a lot of young kids working there.  In addition to my friend Bill, there was Barb & Jane (sisters), Ginger and Mary Ann, sounds like the lead in to Gilligan's Island.

     In addition to washing the pots, I cleaned up the loading dock and picked up the broken wine bottles between the buildings in what I called the gangway.  I seemed like the gangway was were all the winos gathered the night before to drink their troubles away. Unfortunately, after they finish the bottle they didn't gently place their empties on the ground to be pickup easily the next day but they threw them on the concrete breaking them in a million pieces. Cleaning the gangway was not something I looked forward to but I did it without complaining.

     I was the only young person working in the kitchen; all the others worked out on the serving line.  I got to know them when we ate lunch together and when they came back into the kitchen bringing me pots to wash.  The antics always occurred in the kitchen when Bill or one of the girls would come in to the kitchen and started throwing wet towels at the kitchen crew.  At first it was surprising but it quickly became an interesting game of challenge and the owner didn’t seem to mind even participating at times.  The work got done but we all had fun before, during and after work plus we became friends. 

     We had lockers downstairs where we changed and keep our personal stuff.  I was a little shy when I was young so when I found Mary Ann hiding in my locker after getting off work one night, I was without words and closed the locker door on her.  That was a little embarrassing.

     Bill and I carpooled to work most of the time and the Normandy girls carpooled together as well so we would frequently follow each other home and taunt the other car along the way.  It was a fun work experience that has great memories and showed me you could work hard but have fun at the same time.