Watch an interview with Jada Picket Pin, a server at The Green Gateau.
Jada Picket Pin loves her work as a restaurant server.
It's what she's done for two decades, including stints at Chili's and Green Gateau after moving from her hometown of Alliance to Lincoln in 2014.
Picket Pin, 39, was out of a job for a short time when bars and restaurants essentially shut down in the early stages of the pandemic in 2020. But when it was time to reopen, Picket Pin said she was happy to go back to work.
And two years later, she's a first-time grandmother and excited for what's ahead.
Picket Pin spoke with the Journal Star about her work after a recent lunchtime shift at the Green Gateau.
What's a typical day like?
We come in about 10:15 and get everything ready to go. We open at 11, and then we serve 'til 2 o’clock. After that, we get things cleaned up.
(Currently, Picket Pin works Wednesday through Saturday during the day, and also Thursday evenings. The Green Gateau reopens for dinner weekdays at 5 p.m.)
How did the pandemic change things?
When we came back after being closed, it was a challenge to get used to everything — the masks and the gloves and wiping down everything all the time. It was a slow start for a few months, until August maybe, and then things started picking up.
It went very well after that, and it’s stayed pretty good.
What challenges does the pandemic continue to present?
Some people still want to be at a social distance, and here it’s a little hard, because our tables are so close together. We try very hard to accommodate people, and there are booths in the back.
With so much news about workforce shortages, what inspires you to keep at it?
After we had closed for those months, we were short-staffed. We were doing a Saturday brunch with four of us, and normally I think there were eight to 10 of us. It just built back up, and now I think we’re OK.
I really like my job. If I didn’t do this, I’m not sure what I would do.
What gives you satisfaction at the end of a shift?
That me and my co-workers had a good shift and everything went well, and that people — especially people who haven’t been here before — have a nice experience.
I do have regulars who always come back, and it's rewarding for me that someone would want to return here and enjoy the food and the service.
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GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star file photo
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