CLARION, Pa. (EYT) – Brenda Brothers is hanging up her apron after serving as a waitress for nearly three decades at the Pizza Pub.
Brenda took her final order last week and after 28 years on the job she became a fixture at one of Clarion’s most popular restaurants.
Working the 9 am. to 5 p.m. shift, Monday through Friday, Brenda remembered every customer’s name and sometimes more.
“To tell you the truth, I can tell you what they eat easier than what their names are,” said Brenda. “I have quite a few that just come in the door, wave, and I know what order to put in. I have had a few that come in when I’m not there and they have to look at the menu because they forget what they order because I just automatically put it in and they can’t remember what it is.”
There was even one elderly gentleman with a touch of dementia who arrived at the Pizza Pub one day when Brenda wasn’t there.
“For the life of him, he could not remember what he ate. He would not order because I always knew what he ate, and he turned around and walked out,” Brenda said. “I kept telling the girls what he ate, so (they would know) the next time he comes in and I’m not here.”
A lot of people will miss Brenda Brothers, including customers and the owners.
“She was a very dedicated worker for 28 years,” said owner Mike Schill. “She was very honest, loyal, and a hardworking person. You don’t find that a lot of times these days.”
Brenda started working at the Pizza Pub in 1990 after her kids were starting school and she wanted to work full-time. She previously worked part-time at another restaurant in New Bethlehem. She saw the ad, applied, got the job, and the rest is history.
“I liked working for the Schills; they’re very nice people and it really feels like family,” said Brenda. “Of course I liked it; I wouldn’t have been there for 28 years if I didn’t. It was a hard decision to retire, but I turned 65 and my knee is giving me some problems. I just wore it out.”
Mike Schill said they get a lot of regulars who would want to pick seats that they new Brenda would be serving.
“That’s kind of unique,” said Mike. “To be honest, she probably wouldn’t have retired if it weren’t for her knee. I think we ran her wheels off, basically. A waitress job is not easy work.”
“The biggest thing is – she was like family to us because she has been around there that long. My two youngest kids can’t remember not having Brenda around. She was there for all three of my kids. She is like family to all of us.”
Brenda says she is going to miss the people the most, including “the three ladies” she worked with and “the delivery guys.”
In addition to serving, she would help make pizza sometimes if orders were backed up.
“I mainly did all of the prep work in the morning, getting stuff ready for salads, and making the salads,” said Brenda, describing her workday. “We would come in at 9 and from 9 to 11 we would hustle to get all of the prep work done. There’s a lot of prep work in getting all of that food ready and vegetables ready for the salads. There are also little odds and ends that you have to do like the stocking.”
“Eventually, I started doing a little bit of the day-to-day ordering from Clarion Fruit Company and the pop and beer. I did that part for I don’t know how many years. If the Schills went away, I did the ordering.”
While the interior of the building hasn’t changed much over the years and offers the same comfort as most locals remember, there were some changes in the way pizza is made.
“When I first started it was like a brick oven and great big ovens and you slid the pizzas in and it took about 15 minutes to cook,” continued Brenda. “It wasn’t as quick as it is now, because about two or three years after I started Mike brought in a conveyor oven and that made the pizza come out a lot faster.”
“When I started there were two cooks, Gene and Mike; I was the one waitress for the whole dining room. We weren’t quite as busy as we are now. When we got the conveyor oven, we started another girl.”
Brenda said she doesn’t have any big plans for retirement as she joins her husband Tom in Mayport near the Shannodale Hill. Tom has been retired for two and a half years. She just wants to relax and get a few major outdoor projects done before winter.
“Our three daughters are all grown and have families of their own. Two of her daughters live around the area and the other one lives out of state in Delaware. I plan on visiting her more often than I did. She works, too, and it’s hard to get down there when you all work.”
Asked if she has any advice for her replacement, she quickly said, “You have to learn how to hustle. It’s not a slow-paced job, honey. I have to tell you.”
Mike Schill acknowledges you really can’t replace someone like Brenda.
“We’ll adjust and life goes on,” said Mike. “Brenda was a very good worker for us and kudos to her for sticking it out so long. Everybody works to retire someday. She’s going to miss us and we’re going to miss having her. She had a rapport with all of our customers that is tough to replace. We wish her the best.”
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