By Chris O’Grady
For most students, lunch hour is a short break from the mundane moments inside the classroom. Usually the most personal contact is between friends, but at Damon’s Grill Mr. Jim has turned a lunch visit into a welcoming experience.
How did you get to U of L?
I came up here to see about the job opening. It said food service, which I figured was right up my alley and a good way to connect with people.
What have you learned since working at U of L?
How to find those darn numbers [given with an order at Damon’s]. Those are trickier to find than you might think.
What makes working at U of L/Damon’s appeal to you?
Well, the students are absolutely my number one priority. I know it might sound a little bit corny, but I try to look at them all as if they are my own kids and grandkids.
How do you connect with the students as well as you do?
I drove a TARC bus for 32 years and learned to deal with all types of people. I just love interacting with people. I try my best to be a people person.
How do you bring energy and enthusiasm to your work every day?
You really have to like the job. And I do. I like the people I work with, the students I get to serve, and even other people who work at U of L and come in to eat. It has been great becoming friends with them. I think I am their friend and they are mine.
What is your fondest memory of a student or students?
When I get my lunch break, I usually go out into the hallway and eat my lunch. All the time students will walk by and say, “Hi, Mr. Jim,” or, “How are you today, Mr. Jim?” Those things really mean a lot to me. It shows me that they like me just how much I like them. Just the other day a girl came in to say goodbye before she went home for summer. And she gave me a big hug and told me if I wasn’t back in the fall she would hunt me down and find me. That really makes me want to be here.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
I just love mingling with the students and kidding around with them. I don’t know how other restaurants treat people, but that’s what I want to do. That’s absolutely the number one reason I stay around here. I retired a while ago from TARC. And they called back a few months ago to see if I would come back part time. But I told them no because I enjoy working here so much. I would have made more money working for TARC, but though money is nice, that’s not what it’s all about—sometimes it is the happiness that comes with the job. And that is what I have here.
What advice would you give future U of L students?
Come to Damon’s and meet me! No, but really, a lot of students come in from other cities and other states. And I just want them to have a place here where they can feel welcome. And I know it sounds silly, but I want to be able to be a grandpa away from their real grandpa. Every student should know they have a friend at Damon’s—an adoptive grandpa. And I’m not trying to pat myself on the back. I just want to make this a place where students feel welcome and wanted. Because I want to go someplace where I’m wanted, not where somebody just comes out of the kitchen and goes “Bah-humbug, here’s your food.”
