MY FIRST JOB, FOOD SERVICE

I thought I was in hog heaven when I was hired as a car hop at the age of fifteen at Krause's Drive Inn in Mobridge SD.

I turned down another job for more money to work there at less than $1.00 an hour, but it was a job I truely enjoyed. We laughed a lot.

Mr and Mrs Krause were kind employers, and the atmosphere was upbeat and harmonious.

My perception of the 'perks" was food at 1/2 price and an outside bench with an eagle's eye view of the 'action' in the small SD town on balmy warm summer nights.

We car hops knew what guys were in town, who was with whom, and even the county they came from because it was displayed in numerical form on the license plates.

We started each shift with $20.00 in our aprons and it quickly became a priority to count change very well, because at the end of the day the twenty went back to Krauses and anything over that amount was tips.
I counted change in my sleep for awhile.

Last summer I enjoyed volunteering at a little food stand and counting change again. It was fun all over again, even after all these years. It was a kick, not the same rush as back then, but fun, definitely fun.