Who was Pinchers’ first employee?

An offer to sweep, for free

Elizabeth arrived for her interview looking polished and professional, with restaurant management experience and the kind of attitude that made Tony think he’d found exactly the person he needed. Then she offered to come back and help sweep the construction site. For free. Tony was impressed: here was someone willing to pitch in before the restaurant had even opened.

Then came the tattoo

The next day, Elizabeth arrived in shorts, and Tony noticed the large dragon tattoo running up her leg. This was nearly thirty years ago, when tattoos weren’t as common as they are today, and Tony, who had been so pleased with his new hire, suddenly wasn’t so sure. Fortunately, he kept her.

Birthday bells and a lot of laughs

Lizard turned out to be exactly the sort of person Pinchers needed. Tony gives her credit for helping shape the fun that became part of the Pinchers experience: the birthday celebrations, the bell ringing and the laughter.

Their affection for each other is easy to see. When Tony walks into Pinchers and sees Lizard, he’ll call out across the restaurant that he loves her. And she calls right back. That’s not the kind of relationship you can create with an employee handbook.

A fish with a nickname

One day Tony walked into the Bonita Springs Pinchers, where Lizard was waiting with something she wanted him to see. In the seafood case was a giant black grouper, the kind of fish that makes you stop and take a second look. She had already given it a name. “Go check out the holy sh*t fish,” she told him.

Tony wasn’t quite sure what she meant. Then he walked over to the case and saw the grouper. Let’s just say Lizard had chosen the name perfectly.

A job that became a family

Lizard isn’t the only one with a story like this. Some employees have been with Pinchers since day one, and many others for more than 20 years. Some started as servers and now work in corporate positions, helping lead the company where they got their start. Others moved into management and found talents they didn’t know they had.

The Phelan family opened the doors in 1997, but Tony and Grant know they didn’t build Pinchers’ success alone. It took people who showed up, cared about their guests and helped each other through the busiest nights, and many of them are still welcoming guests and mentoring new team members today.