Bernie the Legend

Some might say to me, "she was just a waitress."  But there's more to that when it comes to Bernie, the long-tenured worker at Tony's Lunch in Girardville.

I was maybe 16 or 17 years old the first time I wandered into Tony's Lunch.  I definitely know that I was in high school, towards the end of my time as a student at North Schuylkill.

From the moment I stepped inside that restaurant, I knew that I had found a place that would stick with me.  From the endless stream of interesting characters that would wander in late at night, to the wonderful homemade burgers and fresh cut fries, Tony's Lunch has long remained one of my favorite places to eat.

I haven't been there in recent years as much.  Marriage, a job, and a steady daytime "normal running hour" life will do that to you.  Still, every time I've gone there, it's like coming home again.

This past week I learned that Bernie, the iconic waitress at Tony's Lunch, was retiring.  I had no idea how long Bernie had been working there.  It seemed like her presence was a constant, and for many of us, she embodied the restaurant.  She was timeless.

Bernie seemed to always be there, patient with a sometimes rough-around-the edges clientele (this was a late night place, after all), pen and paper in hand, waiting to take your order.  I can remember a brief time a decade ago when the Atkins diet was a fad, and I found myself trying it out.  Sure enough, Bernie brought me out two hamburger patties, topped with cheese and sauce.  She proceeded to yell, "leave him alone!" at my friends who were ridiculing me for my order.

She was always there.  And it seemed like it would always be the case.  She waited on generations.  I remember my mother saying, "she's still there?" when I told her about my journeys to Tony's.

She was always there in the background as my friends and I spent countless hours sitting in a booth debating politics, the state of Philadelphia sports teams, world events, and an endless assortment of other topics.  Sometimes I'd wonder what the heck she thought about the insane conversations we were having.

Regardless, at the end of the night, she was always there behind the register, ready to take your payment and thanking you for coming in.

I had the honor of ordering a Fluffburger once at Tony's (and that was enough for me).  If you don't know, a Fluffburger is a regular Tony's "Screamer" with the addition of marshmallow fluff.  Bernie would always give a roll of the eyes when someone would order it, and sure enough, there it was when I ordered mine.

I could go on and on about Bernie.  I could talk about the time I stood behind the counter at Chick-fil-A of the Schuylkill Mall, waiting to take a customer's order and heard someone say, "now it's your turn to wait on me!"  There stood Bernie smiling.

Anyway, after 59(!) years of working at Tony's Lunch, Bernie retired this Past Monday.  Who knows how many screamers and growlers, chocolate milks, and french fries she's brought to people over the years.  But I knew that I had to be there.

At 7:05 I arrived, almost good half hour before Tony's opens.  There was already a line, and I was #12.

You probably can't see it due to the size of the picture, but this was the moment where Bernie had arrived for one last shift.  She's standing in a black coat, and she was met by applause by the people gathered in line.  I believe there were about 25 of us standing at that point.

One of the local news stations showed up ten minutes later, and began to interview me.  At that point, the door opened, causing the line to enter the store, and me to abruptly end my interview in the strangest way- cheering for a burger ("Go Screamers!" was the line).  There was Bernie at the door, waiting to hug everyone who came inside.  I could tell that she was holding back tears.

Upon getting in and waiting for my order, I heard the official story that I hadn't known until that night: Bernie had worked there for 59 years, originally working for her uncle and grandmother, who had jointly owned Tony's when it originally opened.  They then sold it to the Salukas family, who has owned it ever since.  Originally agreeing to work for them for another month or so after the sale, months turned into years and Bernie has been there ever since.

I don't mean to take anything away from Joe and Claire Salukas, because they have made the restaurant what it is today, but for most everyone who has been inside Tony's, Bernie is the next thing you think about after the food when you think about Tony's.  When a local musical group made a parody of "Sweet Home Alabama" about the region, Tony's was mentioned, and Bernie was name dropped in the song.  When people talk about Tony's, Bernie's name is mentioned almost immediately.

I placed an order, and my friend Larry came to sit next to me at the counter.  We talked about a bunch of things, but I kept thinking how Tony's was a big part of the start of our friendship.  Our friends used to gather there, at our peak 4 times a week, and we would have lengthy conversations over burgers and sodas.

I thought about the night Bernie retired.  Behind me in line was someone I had not seen in years, who worked with me at Chick-fil-A.  Behind her was a friend from high school.  Tony's Lunch has been bringing people together for years.  And Bernie has been there through it all.

Here was that night's order, delicious as usual:

And here is a picture of Larry and I with Bernie on her last night:

Local ABC Affiliate WNEP 16 even stopped by to interview Bernie:

It was a great night.  The staff at Tony's had a cake, and everyone got a cupcake.  Everyone who came came to see Bernie one last time and thank her for a long career of serving.

I will be a customer at Tony's for years to come, but it sure won't be the same without her.

Go screamers!