Vito's waitress retires after 41 years of kindness, comebacks

A beloved waitress at Vito's restaurant on Rothesay Avenue in Saint John is retiring after 41 years of putting smiles on the faces of customers.

Marie Mae McLaughlin started working at Vito's restaurant on Aug. 8, 1975. Since then she has made a difference in many people's lives through simple acts of kindness.

"She is more than an employee, she is family," said Mike Georgoudis, part-owner of the restaurant.

"When you think about what she has done and the people she has touched actually over the 41 years, she knows a lot of people. She is the epitome of customer service. You won't find anyone better than her."

Yorgo Zmboukis, a long-time customer, said he has many memories of McLaughlin's antics.

"I remember one time my uncle complained his tea was cold. So Marie Mae stuck her finger in the tea cup and put it in her mouth and said she thought it was fine," he said.

"My uncle was speechless … for the first time."

Bold sense of humour

Due to her friendly approach and bold sense of humour, she had many other stories like that.

"There was a customer that came in and he wanted a seat with a view of the water," said Georgoudis.

"So she actually brought a glass of water and put it on the window ledge and said there you go, a view with the water."

Her retirement was announced on Vitos Facebook page on Saturday.

In just two days the post got more than 1,000 likes and more than 400 people commented, sharing their memories of her.

From comforting the mother of a cancer patient right down to making sure a customer received his ketchup in a bowl not in a packet, MacLaughlin left no stone unturned when it came to making sure the people she was serving left happy.

"Making them laugh don't cost me anything," McLaughlin said.

She said she tells other servers that her goal was to make people feel like they are at home.

"You have to have good service. Like if somebody was not happy that would make my heart … [feel] bad. I would not want to somebody like that to have left from here," she said.