Sarah Nigbor

Lately our family has been obsessed with watching “Bar Rescue.” If you haven’t seen it, it’s about a restaurateur named Jon Taffer who uses his 40+ years of knowledge in the industry to save failing bars and restaurants. We find it appealing because both my husband and I have worked in that industry. It’s how I earned my way through college and beyond. My husband grew up working in his mother’s restaurant in Wautoma.

The first time I worked as a server more than 20 years ago was at Riversides in Hudson (now Pier

500). When I started there, I was absolutely terrified. It was my first serving job, plus it was considered a fine dining establishment, complete with cloth napkins, tableside wine service, the works. It didn’t help that one of the owners was an extremely irritable and intimidating woman who more often than not had a glass of Chardonnay in her hand. Her tongue became sharper the more she drank, so we tried to avoid her.

I had a wonderful server train me; she had been in the industry for a long time and was top notch. I learned so much from her on how to make guests happy. She carried her loaded trays, with up to five meals at a time, on her fingertips over her head. I don’t know how she did it. She weaved in out of the tables with confidence and never dropped a thing.

The first time I attempted to carry a loaded tray through the dining room, I was nervous. I had four prime rib dinners on heavy platters placed on the tray, which was balanced on one hand at head height; my other hand carried the tray stand. I wove my way through the dining room and almost made it to my table before I felt the tray shift. I knew someone was about to be wearing prime rib and I couldn’t bear the thought of what the manager would say if they fell. Not to mention the humiliation of dropping a bunch of food in a packed dining room. I made a split-second decision in order to save the tray and a bit of pride. I flung the tray stand to the side of the aisle and grabbed the tray as it tipped with my other hand, steadying it just in time. It teetered and I left like the entire room was holding its collective breath as the tray settled back into position. No prime rib dinners went sailing onto anyone’s lap. And when I received a good tip from the table, I almost cried. I went on to carry many trays over the years and I can proudly say I didn’t drop any.

After leaving Riversides, I worked at two restaurants/bars in Prescott for more than 13 years: RC’s before it was bulldozed for condos on the riverfront, and Philander’s, which was my home away from home for many years. Both places were very well run and I loved working at them. The owners and staff were like family to me. I don’t think they would have qualified for “Bar Rescue.” If Jon Taffer had walked through the doors, I think I might have fainted from sheer terror. I recommend checking out the show. If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant/bar, you will understand.