Yep! They’re Gone……

Yep! They’re Gone……

As you have heard me say before…..we get a lot of Sno-Birds here in our little city as Europeans and our Northern neighbors spend the winter here in Florida.

AND although it is very good for the economy…most of us locals tend to complain about the increased traffic, bulging beaches and long waits for dinner at our favorite restaurants…..

Many of our Sno-Birds arrive around Thanksgiving and leave shortly after Easter the following year….give or take a week or two on either end.

So it was very interesting this morning when the Captain and I went out to breakfast to one of our favorite “Mom and Pop” type restaurants…and we saw the sign that said:

Welcome back regulars…we missed you.

The name of this little spot is simply “Annie’s”….and it is a place where all the servers know your name and welcome you.  

And you can’t have a name like Annie’s without Raggedy Ann….

And Raggedy Andy….and yes, there is a real Annie although she stays in the kitchen a lot. ….but if you arrive early, she will come out and greet all the regulars. 

It is a place where you can joke with the server and she will joke right back with you.

It is a place where you know the food is good, nothing fancy.

There are pictures from local artists on the walls for purchase (usually the Sno-Birds) …….and all the coffee cups have been provided by a Boat Dock business across the street.

Prices are very reasonable….and the tickets are hand written.

The specials are written on a board in the middle of the room and drawings from children are tacked anywhere there is a space.

The regulars include Lee, the aspiring writer who hand writes his novels on a yellow note pad while sipping his coffee.  He has written many, many books….but they are all still on yellow note pads stacked in storage boxes.

When I asked if he would ever publish…he responded very quickly with a “No” …unless his wife or children published after he was gone.

People include John, the older gentleman who lost his wife several years ago and always eats the same breakfast of oatmeal and rye toast….because that is what his wife used to make him.

The servers are like family and you talk to them about their lives as they call you by your name.

Like Roxie who rescues cats, Karen who used to live in Fort Lauderdale (across the state) but found the Gulf side more friendly, Judy who is bouncy and funny, Jeanine who has to walk a bit slower due to health issues, and Terri who responds to your “Good Morning” with “Who asked you for a weather report?”.  

Yes, you know their names and stories and they know yours.

They care.  

Reminds me of that old sitcom “Cheers” and the lyrics to the theme song.

You wanna go where people know,
people are all the same,
You wanna go where everybody knows
your name.

Have a great Day!

 

*As usual, our meals are independently paid for.