Having worked here as a staff writer at The Evening Sun for three years now, it’s hard to believe some of the other positions I’ve held over the years, from my time with dad kicking carpet as an employee of Simplicity Carpet to my first job at the Norwich Burger King (almost 20 years ago now), making pizzas (and subs ... and calzones) while living in Vermont, and even the occasional stint as a full-time musician (a nearly impossible task in this area). Yet of all the jobs I’ve held, my favorites would have to be the years I spent bartending at the one-time Music Shop Pub (now the Blarney Stone Pub, of course) and the Owego Jailhouse (where I also learned my way around a restaurant kitchen).
Which is why, for this installment of Punching the Clock, I decided to make my way across Lackawanna Avenue to the Park Place Lounge and Restaurant.
Now, before I go any further, my original intent was to wait a few tables over the course of an afternoon, something I’ve – surprisingly – never done before, or maybe even spend some time in the kitchen (cooking is a favorite pastime of mine). Unfortunately for me, the timing didn’t work out (mid-afternoon was a bit slow), yet it was great to get behind the bar again, particularly with some of the changes that have taken place thanks to the digital age.
I arrived at Park Place (luckily for me) just as self-proclaimed Park Place Princess Missy Bresee was wrapping up a fairly busy run on the bar, just in time to learn (or re-learn, I suppose) the art of “cleaning up,” which means washing down the bar and several tables; running dirty dishes to the kitchen for washing; and generally preparing for the next wave of patrons. I had forgotten how much more there is to a bartender’s job than simply pouring drinks and making conversation – although both are extremely important, for obvious reasons – yet found myself gaining confidence as a handful of customers made their way through the door.
By 3:15 p.m., the crowd had picked up, if not significantly ... well, enough so that it made learning the cash register (all touch screen in this day and age, of course) a little tricky. Not to mention learning where everything is kept, from ketchup bottles to coasters, napkins, domestic versus imported beers and clean pint glasses. Everything is well organized at Park Place, no doubt about it, but for one new to the bar, it was a bit overwhelming, particularly when you’ve got thirsty customers waiting.
And then, of course, learning how to properly (note I said properly) pour a draft beer again, a science in its own right.
Bresee, of course, found the whole thing hilarious, even as she was “writing me up” (twice ... for checking my cell phone ... one more time and I would’ve been fired) and watching as I tried – successfully, I might add – to recall the process of ringing up a customer’s order (much different on a touch screen than an old fashioned cash register).
“You should see it on a Saturday night at closing time,” she laughed.
Thanks, Missy, but no thanks, I’ll pass.
By the end of Bresee’s shift, however, I had regained my confidence and remembered just how much fun tending bar can be. Bresee, who was a pleasure to work for (even if she was on the verge of firing me), is a natural behind the bar, and it’s obvious that her customers enjoy her company as much as they do the pleasant atmosphere at Park Place. And while I have no plans to return to bartending (what can I say, I’m pretty fond of the newsroom), I must admit it was a bit like riding a bike, a skill they say once learned is easily remembered.