Today, July 18th, 2020, Clyde's of Columbia is closing its doors after 45 very successful years. I worked at Clyde's right out of high school and stayed there for 8 years. I started out as a line cook, worked my way up to top grill cook, was promoted to sous chef, and finished my years there as a back waiter. Clyde's is the gold standard in restaurant management. When I was there every waiter was sent to Georgetown for a week of training. Managers were required to take management training classes and read books on good management. I learned how to cook, write menus, document food costs, safe food handling, Human Resources, EEOC laws, and drink Grand Marnier. I became friends with regular customers and to this day I’m still friends with many of the people I worked along side.

Of course there were difficult times there. I wasn't a fan of the corporate take-over of our Columbia menu around 1990. I wasn't a fan of the owner's wife's "let them eat cake" air. I worked my ass off at Clyde's. When I was the sous chef I was the low man on the totem pole - so I worked 6 days a week and came in on my day off for meetings. For a few months I did all of the scheduling of over 50 employees. For a few months I was the butcher - spending 10 hours a day working in a refrigerator beginning at 6am. During my time at Clyde's I turned 21 (my cohorts threw me a killer party and I'll never forget Brian Malone buying 2 bottles of Dom Perignon). I got married while I was there, and my cohorts went above and beyond to help me prepare for the wedding. I separated from my wife while I was at Clyde's, and my colleagues helped me grieve the loss.

I have great memories of Clyde's of Columbia and of the people who helped shape the man I’ve become. Thanks to those great guys: Dave Mulholland, Malone, Bobby, EQ, Gosnell. I’ll always treasure those years and I’ll try to remember all of the lessons Clyde’s taught me. I believe everyone should spend a year or more working in the food service industry. There’s no quicker way to learn about people than working with a quality team serving the public.

Thanks Clyde’s of Columbia!