bakers rack : Morton's steakhouse president visits
Once a waitress, always a waitress -- even after you become president of a chain of elegant steakhouses.
Edie Ames, the 39-year-old prez of Morton's, was in town last week on her whirlwind tour of all 70 locations worldwide. (Charlotte's way up there when it comes to service, she sez, right after Singapore.)
The first thing Ames did when I met her? Took my drink order. No surprise there: She started out waiting tables for the Bakers Square chain when she was 15. "And I still have anxiety dreams that the tables at my station are all running behind."
She even waited tables and worked all the other stations as part of her training last summer as Morton's honcho. Did she ever get stiffed? "Are you kidding?" she asks, insulted. "I NEVER got stiffed."
This is cute: During Morton's GM conference in September in Maui, she joked onstage in a skit that she was a vegetarian -- and the Morton's execs bought it. One of them approached her later as she was eating a burger and said, wide-eyed, "Do you realize that's MEAT?"
Fastest items in town
Bill Thierfelder, prez of Belmont Abbey, speaks on personal and business relationships Friday at the convention for retired NFL players in Scottsdale, Ariz. Ya might assume that former NFL players would dwarf a college president, but Thierfelder is 6 feet 8, and a former All-American high jumper. . . . One of the biggest parties of the year is Friday -- and it's a lot more tie-dye than black tie. It's the beach party California Dreamin', the 15th Annual Best of Charlotte event benefiting The Family Center, which does great work to prevent child abuse. From 7 to 11 at the Hyatt Charlotte at SouthPark. Call (704) 376-7180, ext. 213. . . If your kids wanna get in on all the "Cars" hoopla, Charlotte-based Rack Room Shoes has a new sneaker inspired by the Disney movie that premiered here last week. . . . Best event site in the country? CenterStage@NoDa, Charlotte Arrangements' classy space, is up for a national award. Click on event-solutions.com for more. . . . Think old-time radio show on the Web: A red-hot podcast outta Charlotte is being featured on iTunes and other cool sites. Click on www.theseanachai.com to hear the audio of original essays. . . . Fiamma, the new Italian joint where the Rhineland Haus used to be, is much brighter -- and the lasagna and ravioli are magnifico. . . . The Dead Sea Scrolls wrap up a great run at the Discovery Place today, and we'll see them scurry away with their big, fluffy tails. Oops, that's the Dead Sea SQUIRRELS, which many callers to the DP actually thought they were. Holy acorns!
by JEFF ELDER
Edie Ames, the 39-year-old prez of Morton's, was in town last week on her whirlwind tour of all 70 locations worldwide. (Charlotte's way up there when it comes to service, she sez, right after Singapore.)
The first thing Ames did when I met her? Took my drink order. No surprise there: She started out waiting tables for the Bakers Square chain when she was 15. "And I still have anxiety dreams that the tables at my station are all running behind."
She even waited tables and worked all the other stations as part of her training last summer as Morton's honcho. Did she ever get stiffed? "Are you kidding?" she asks, insulted. "I NEVER got stiffed."
This is cute: During Morton's GM conference in September in Maui, she joked onstage in a skit that she was a vegetarian -- and the Morton's execs bought it. One of them approached her later as she was eating a burger and said, wide-eyed, "Do you realize that's MEAT?"
Fastest items in town
Bill Thierfelder, prez of Belmont Abbey, speaks on personal and business relationships Friday at the convention for retired NFL players in Scottsdale, Ariz. Ya might assume that former NFL players would dwarf a college president, but Thierfelder is 6 feet 8, and a former All-American high jumper. . . . One of the biggest parties of the year is Friday -- and it's a lot more tie-dye than black tie. It's the beach party California Dreamin', the 15th Annual Best of Charlotte event benefiting The Family Center, which does great work to prevent child abuse. From 7 to 11 at the Hyatt Charlotte at SouthPark. Call (704) 376-7180, ext. 213. . . If your kids wanna get in on all the "Cars" hoopla, Charlotte-based Rack Room Shoes has a new sneaker inspired by the Disney movie that premiered here last week. . . . Best event site in the country? CenterStage@NoDa, Charlotte Arrangements' classy space, is up for a national award. Click on event-solutions.com for more. . . . Think old-time radio show on the Web: A red-hot podcast outta Charlotte is being featured on iTunes and other cool sites. Click on www.theseanachai.com to hear the audio of original essays. . . . Fiamma, the new Italian joint where the Rhineland Haus used to be, is much brighter -- and the lasagna and ravioli are magnifico. . . . The Dead Sea Scrolls wrap up a great run at the Discovery Place today, and we'll see them scurry away with their big, fluffy tails. Oops, that's the Dead Sea SQUIRRELS, which many callers to the DP actually thought they were. Holy acorns!
by JEFF ELDER
