inspiration
Hope Is on the Menu Server lives life in color to push back the dark times WRITTENBYALBINA SPORTELLI PHOTOGRAPHY BY TARIQ ZEHAWI
Beth Willows lives life in full color .
She ’ s astreak of bright colors as she rushes from table to table , taking orders and carrying trays laden with Jersey diner favorite dishes and lots ofside orders of goldenbrown fries .
Her customers smile asthey watch her . It ’ s impossible not to as she rushes in and out of the kitchen at the Pompton Queen Diner inPequannock .
Maybe it ’ s the bright halo of silk flowers that adorns her head or maybe the rainbow patches sewn on the pockets of her work apron .
Her butterfly earrings bobble to and fro . They match the multicolored butterfly pendant dangling from achain near the advocacy pins affixed to her black polo shirt , the one sporting the yellow and red logo of the diner where she has worked for more than two decades . Also affixed to her shirt , pinned right over her heart , is alarge button photo of her daughters .
The colors that adorn her exterior are her way of neutralizing the sorrow and tough times she has experienced . “ I always try to make the best of every situation ,” Willows says .
After working anine-hour shift , Willows sits in one ofthe booths in her section of the Route 23 diner to chat as bits ofBilly Joel ’ s “ Uptown Girl ” break through the din of clinking dishes and glasses and the late lunch crowd chatter . She ’ sglad for the rest , as her back and feet are sore after the long shift .
BETH WILLOWS
There ’ s a welcome interruption as one of her regular lunch customers stops byand hands her a $ 20 tip .
“ Thank you , darling ,” he says .
‘ SHE BRIGHTENS OUR DAY ’
Her first job as aserver was atthe Princess Diner , which later became the Monarch Diner , on Route 23 in Wayne . It was knocked down a few years ago and the property now houses aBundt cake shop and a Starbucks .
About two decades ago she took the job at the Pompton Queen Diner . Her co-workers and regular customers have become family .
Her bosses know they can always count onher .
“ She is dedicated and dependable , has always been ,” says Barbara Matthews , wife of Sam Matthews , who co-owns the diner with his cousin Tommy Georgoutsos . “ She is always positive and willing to bend over backward for everyone .”
“ Kids ask for her . Little girls think she ’ s magical ,” Matthews says from behind the counter as customers pay their checks . Willows wears rainbow patches on her pockets so her LGBTQ customers know they have an ally . The butterfly jewelry and the flowers in her hair mean she gets lots of little girls who request to sit in her section of the diner .
“ I really like the butterflies ,” says 7-year-old Orit Gaya . “ I like her tattoos and the butterflies ,” says 10-year-old Yahli .
Her regulars know they can count on her to remember their faces , their names and their stories .
“ She ’ s a great lady . She brightens our day every time we are here ,” Nicole Reid says .
“ I ’ ve been coming here for years , and she ’ s the best ,” Joyce DeRuiter says .
During a recent work shift , the weather was gloomy and she wore yellow flowers in her hair . One of her regulars told her she was “ a ray of sunshine in a gray world .”
“ I don ’ t know why Iwant to nurture people , but I do ,” Willows says , becoming tearful .
THE STRUGGLES AND HARDSHIPS
Willows tries to bring joy to her customers and everyone else in her life . She has lived through dark times and knows how important it is to be surrounded by people who bring you happiness .
26 FALL 2022 WAYNE MAGAZINE