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Monday, Oct. 06, 2008

Tight times in the midstate: Macon waitress sees number of customers, tips shrinking

Editor's note: This is the second in a series of stories about how the economic downturn is affecting Middle Georgians.

You know the economy has gone South when folks around here are going to restaurants and not ordering sweet tea.

At least not as much.

"More people are drinking water," said Mary Heenan, a server at Luigi's Bistro.

Heenan, 25, has been waiting tables in Macon for more than five years.

Since spring, some weeks her paychecks have dropped by as much as $200.

"There's just a lot less diners," she said. "Some of our regulars aren't coming in as regular as they used to."

Heenan supports herself on $2.13 an hour plus the tips she earns.

She said rising gas prices and the economic slowdown has her looking for another job.

"It motivates you to try to find something more," Heenan said.

She recently graduated from Mercer University with a degree in finance. She hopes to find work as a financial planner.

"A lot of people might need financial planning," Heenan, only half kidding, said. "With the way stuff is they need to protect their assets more and save more. Everything's just gonna keep going higher: college for your kids, being able to make sure you have enough for the mortgage. I think people need to have somebody to sit down and show them how to save properly."

Heenan, who lives in Monroe County, has about a 35-mile roundtrip ride to work, so she is watching what she spends on gas.

"I'm trying not to drive nearly as much," she said.

At her job not too long ago, servers were in the habit of giving away shifts, taking days off because they were making enough to get by waiting tables two or three times a week. Now more are putting in to work full weeks.

Still, she said, tips aren't as plentiful. Patrons aren't ordering as much alcohol and they're passing on appetizers and desserts.

"The dinner bills just aren't as high anymore," Heenan said. "You'll always have the people that will still have money and still buy tons, but it's getting a little bit less."

She has found herself cutting back on going to concerts and local nightÂspots. She rents movies through the mail. She canceled TiVo.

"I don't even have cable right now. I'm watching DVDs," she said. "I'm trying to stay busy with my days and it actually helps me not to sit around as much."

Heenan finds herself grocery shopping to make most of her meals at home, a lot of pasta dishes and, for breakfast, cereal.

Plenty of restaurant-goers appear to have followed suit.

Said Heenan, "I'm eating out a lot less."

To contact writer Joe Kovac Jr., call 744-4397.