10 years & growing!

Ten years ago I walked into Willie's in Manhattan, I was not scheduled to work, but it was the opening night and I wanted to see what this place looked like.  I walked in two days prior and thought there was NO WAY we were going to be open on Wednesday.  To my amazement, it was open and looked completely different than the two days before.  I didn't walk in again until Saturday, my first shift was after the KSU football game against Colorado.  I WAS NOT PREPARED!  I worked as a bartender at the Eagles Lodge before this, I was not prepared to crawl through people to get to the bar, I was not prepared to make margarita's without a mix, I actually thought you had to have margarita mix to make a margarita, proof right there, I was not prepared.  There was little training on the cash registers, the soda gun, where the beer was, etc, BUT I did know the menu.  We were told there was going to be a quiz on the menu, there wasn't. 

Anyway, My life changed the moment I applied and accepted a job as a bartender at Willie's Sports Bar & Grill ten years ago and I hadn't even known it at the time.  I started dating my boss (gasp), fell in love, got married, had babies and opened 3 more places!  -not all in that order of course!  I am happy to say that ten years later, I am so proud of what DJ (he will insist that I include myself) and I have accomplished.  I love that we have something our families are proud of, and it's all because he trusted himself to make it in a business where 90%+ fail within the first year.  We have had partners come and go, but none that we love as much as Josh & Amy and Hooptie Ron.  There is no way we could have made it as far as we have without all of them.  Josh is just devoted and as much of a hard ass as DJ, there is no one DJ would rather have as a partner (life or business -haha, just had to throw that in there)  and Ron is my second husband (funny little joke has run on forever now)

Our employees became friends and then family...and they included us in their families as well.  There will always be a special place in my heart for the Long family.  They took us in and treated us as one of them.  We were invited to Long Family Dinner every Sunday night.  They were at the hospital when both of our kids were born, they helped raise our kids the entire time we lived in Manhattan and are still in our lives today as much as possible.  They have been a part of most every memory I have that includes Willie's.

Willie's introduced me to my husband and others to their future spouses as well.  We have watched people date, break up, get married, have babies, we watched two customers get engaged (Beth & Brian Smoller), we watched a couple tell their parents they were going to be grandparents (Ryan & Ashley Kenney), we watched people celebrate countless birthdays.  Thank you everyone (employees & customers) for allowing us to be a part of your lives and you to be a part of ours!  I can't imagine my life without the friends I've made from one little place in this world, 307 S. Seth Child Rd.  I love you all!  Here's some pictures I could find from the past ten years....
 

10 years old - create a slideshow with music


Here's to 10 more years of Food*Sports*Family at Willie's!  Cheers!