"My grandmother, Mohava, started the business in the mid-1940s. I was her oldest grandchild and started working there when I was 12. I grew up in the restaurant and never left; she made me a stockholder in 1973, and it sort of indentured me. If my grandmother saw the operation today, I think she’d like it  (except for the smoking ban because she was a heavy smoker) because I haven’t messed with the things that she did to make customers feel at home. She also left me with an openness for change and a willingness and the understanding to listen to my own two kids — who are now part of the business — and their ideas. I also have eight grandchildren. The oldest is 10; she comes every day after school and loves to sit with the cashier. We’ll see what happens."

Photo by Jon Meyers

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