Lunch Rush

The restaurant is small. The maximum occupancy is probably around 50 people. That doesn't stop the building from being stuffed to the brim. I am seated by a woman near the back of the store by the kitchen. The main food served here is Mexican. It is renowned all around town so that explains how busy the place is. The staff that I can see (not kitchen) contains about 6 people, including the manager/owner, who is waiting tables and cleaning.

Mr. Owner, from what I can see, enjoys being familiar with the customers. He engages several of the tables in small talk about their lives. He is a short man with a minimal hair count. His shirt is stained a few times with Chile. Even though this place is very busy he still finds the time to mix in with the customers.

Alberta. I am seated by a large woman with long black hair and a positive attitude. She is waiting on this quartile section of the building. She is friendly and does not appear to be tiring with the shift time.

The table to the right of me has a group of three woman. Two of the woman, Jane and Jen, are wearing pantsuits and colorful blouses. The last woman, Lafawn, is sitting opposite the others. She has on a blue dress and her hair is up into a bun. They all look similar, they could be sisters. Black hair and similar body build types. They appear to be Hispanic, the way they speak and what they speak about makes me to that cultural identity.

The table diagonal to me has an elderly couple. The man, Diego, has a bald head but a full beard. He has a large beer grown body and a t shirt with a cartoon on it. The woman, Dianne, is small and frail looking. She has light gray hair that has been carefully prepared. They are both seated and enjoying a meal but I don't hear a single word said between the two. It would appear the goal of the lunch date was only for the love of the traditionally prepared Mexican food.

The last table in my section has a lone man named hector. He has on a light leather vest and a pair of dark sunglasses. He is very kind to Alberta and appears to know her by the way he speaks about her family and his family. Alberta gives him a hug and says that she will come back with his usual order. He shouts out jokingly that he wants the hot Chile this time.

Mr. Owner goes to the table with the elderly couple. He asks if they enjoyed their meals and if there is anything that he could do for them. Diego answers saying in Spanish that everything was perfect and the couple will definitely be back. They leave and shout goodbye to Alberta.

Lafawn is sitting at the table and sifting through the endless pages on her phone. She does not seem impressed with the other ladies conversation. But as I can remember from my previous notes, the phone use might be a younger person trait, particularly with woman. She only looks up the whole meal in order to tell Alberta what she would like to eat. Jen and Jane don't seem to notice this behavior as abnormal, as it may be a social normality.

Hector receives his meal and compliments Alberta on her speedy delivery. There is not much to his time spent at the restaurant. He eats and leaves. Though it is noticeable that he does not address his phone once. This may be because of his age. Maybe in his fifties, and the fact of being a male. But I don't have enough conclusive evidence.

The woman start to talk about each other’s days after all the food is consumed. Jen and Jane work at the local court house and Lafawn is a lawyer or works for a law office. They laugh and joke about the work week. As they are about to leave, Mr. Owner comes by the table to check on the meal... They all agree, almost in unison that the food was great and the service was like no other.