I would like to dedicate this newsletter to one of our former team members, the late Abacuc Oliveras. Abacuc worked as a dishwasher at our Gringos Mexican Kitchen – Pearland Town Center location from April of 2009 until his passing on Sunday, July 21, 2013. He was 58 years old.

I have a special connection with dishwashers. As a young kid growing up in La Porte in the late ‘70s, washing dishes was my first job. I can remember the challenge to see how quickly I could finish a full bus cart of dirty dishes. Back in those days, a busboy would push a bus cart through the dining room cleaning off tables of dirty dishes. Once it was full they would then roll it over to the dishwashing station in the kitchen and change it out for an empty one.

The bus carts had three levels. The top level was for the dirty dishes, the middle was for the glasses, and the bottom was for trash. Dirty silverware was placed in a container that hung on the side of the cart. Anyhow, the challenge for a dishwasher was to see how quickly he could turn a cart over in order to be ready for the next dirty one. I believe my best time ever was 10 minutes to finish a full cart of dirty dishes. The worst part about being a dishwasher, at least for me anyway, was having to wash the pot & pans by hand at the end of the shift. The empty chile con queso pots required a lot of extra elbow grease. The best part, as a young kid, was when you picked up your paycheck on Friday to see how much money you had earned…and then ride your bicycle over to Ben Franklin on Saturday morning and spend some of it on whatever your heart desired.

Today, when I visit a Gringo’s or Jimmy Changas location, I always make a point to stop by and say hello to the dishwashers on duty. I sometimes will even pull out my wallet and hand them a fifty-dollar bill as a small token of my appreciation for their hard work. In my opinion they work harder than just about any other person in the restaurant. The work is very monotonous and definitely not glamorous! The dishwasher “job” is a constant barrage of dirty dishes being dropped off at their workstation from the time we open until we close. The volume of dishes I washed as a young kid doesn’t even come close to the volume of dishes that our dishwashers at Gringo’s and Jimmy Changas tackle each and every day.

Dishwashers are a specific breed of worker who enjoy the solitude that comes with the position; yet seem to never complain about the workload. I consider them to have one of the most important positions in the restaurant industry. Can you imagine for a moment what would happen if every dishwasher in the city were to walk out on his/her job during a Friday night? Restaurants would come to a grinding halt, and I’m positive it would be difficult to find volunteers to jump in and help out. Noted, for good reason, washing dishes is a dirty and messy job!

To most people, Abacuc was simply a dishwasher. To me, he was much more than that. Abacus represented an important piece of my company that contributed to the dining out enjoyment for so many people. I asked Matt Bussa, our General Manager at the Pearland Town Center location, what he will remember most about Abacus and he said, “His unbelievable work ethic and picking up his paycheck all dressed up with his cowboy hat and sunglasses on.”

While attending his funeral on July 24th, I witnessed his children weeping over his casket. It was extremely sad to watch. As I got up out of the pew and walked over to view his body, I noticed his cowboy hat lying next to him – I almost lost it.

Do me a small favor. In honor of Abacuc and all of the dishwashers who have added to our enjoyment while dining out over the years, the next time you go to a restaurant, consider sending a couple of dollars in an envelope to the dishwashers on duty along with a note saying – “Thank You!” Without a doubt, you will put a huge smile on their face and make them feel as important as they truly are.