Hard Climb Up

Ask anyone in Walkersville where the best place to get a good sit-down meal or a nice cold beer, and chances are they'll direct you to The Village Tavern. The Tavern, as it's called locally for short, sits in the Safeway Shopping center sandwiched between CVS and David's Hair Salon. Its warm atmosphere and outstanding customer service have drawn people from all over Frederick County since 1987. But beyond what the customer sees in the dining room, there lies a battlefield in the back that is the workplace to a brigade of good workers and leaders, who fight hard in the trenches of grills and fryers to serve hundreds of hungry patrons. One of these people, Tony Riley, has been among the ranks of these workers for over a decade and now is commander of this prestigious kitchen, and his journey to the top of the ladder was no walk through the park.
I have known Tony for a good four years, as he was the one who interviewed and hired me back in my high school days. Today, he is in his usual form, laid back and full of laughs, his sarcastic remarks to what people say to him make me laugh as I stand there, prepared to ask him a few questions. As he skins carrots, I noticed something I never have before about him. Despite his short stature, he carries a level of intimidation and power that one can only see in a person who has been a leader for quite some time. He looks back and forth between me and the carrots, two earrings in each ear swinging with his head every time he looks back. When I ask him how long his tenure at the Tavern has lasted, he paused to think, crinkling his forehead on his face that looks like it would suit an officer in the military. "Since '97" he replies after a few seconds. With orders starting to come in, he puts the interview on hold for a moment as he sets up the plates for the food.
Tony quickly starts throwing corn beef and sauerkraut on the flat top for a Reuben and chuckles as I ask him what he does in his spare time. With no hesitation, he says "Call of Duty", a video game that I've come to find can be very addicting. In a more serious tone, he tells me about how much he enjoys spending time with his family, especially his daughter Summer. He only gets weekends with her, so he cherishes that time alot. For a moment it reminded me of my father, and how he felt under the same circumstances as Tony.
Steering towards more work related questions, he says "trying to keep everyone happy" is the hardest part of his job. His responses are consistently short but to-the-point answers, as was when I asked what he would change about his job. "This is a hard one" Tony said, still working on orders, trying to balance his concentration between the orders and I. After a few seconds, once he got back to focus, he replied with a smile, "I'd like to make more money, but who wouldn't want that? Maybe stay open for breakfast, too." From my years knowing Tony, this is kind of an answer I expected, so I asked a question that piqued at my curiosity. I wanted to know if he wasn't working here, where would he be working instead? To my surprise, he said the armed forces. "Because it would provide me with a better structured set of goals," he replied. Very mature answer I thought, and I felt a little bit of pity that he didn't get to do that.
Curious about how long it took to get to his position at head cook, he took me back to April 2004, a huge turning point in the history of The Village Tavern. On April 4th, 2004, Dennis Murray, the owner of the Tavern at the time, suffered medical problems and died in his place of business. His wife took over control and still owns it to this day. It was at this time that a few employees left because it wasn’t the same for them anymore, for anybody. One of them, the head cook at the time, decided to call it quits as well. This is where Tony took a huge step up to kitchen manager. He's been there ever since.
For me, Tony's story at the tavern tells a tale of dedication, to take having no education past high school and make the best out of it. It wasn't an easy path, but what does he enjoy most about his job? "Working with so many personalities and people, and having people show up for work, most of the time." "It's definitely very rewarding and worth all the hard to work to be around some of the best friends and people someone can have."