With many local businesses operating through the Memorial Day holiday, waitress Shemeka Waters said she doesn’t mind coming into work today.
She works at
“I don’t mind,” said Waters, who’s worked at the store since its 2011 opening. “It’s time and a half, and I don’t mind it at all.”
She anticipates a more crowded restaurant today, which, for her, means a chance to earn more tips than a normal day. Aside from increased earnings, Waters said customers will make her time at work enjoyable.
“There are lots of people,” she said. “They make the job fun.”
She tended to a pair of regular customers at the 24-7 eatery last week gearing up for the holiday.
Charlie Carter, a
“(I’ve been coming) ever since it was open,” he said. “They’ve got a good staff here and I like the food.”
Waters served Carter coffee as he waited for a friend.
“I love my job,” said Waters, a mother of one with a second child on the way. “I like the people. I love dealing with people and the public.”
When she gets off work today, she may have a small cookout at home, where she lives with her husband David Gooding.
While today’s holiday may not interfere with Waters’ plans, other local business employees celebrated early because they took on a shift today.
Tim Villager, an assistant buyer at Neuse Sports Shop in
“I hadn’t really made any (plans) because I’d planned to work here,” he said. “This is my first Memorial Day with the store.”
He said customers will be “lined up” for holidays, with most people traveling to the beach.
But for those staying local, many businesses will be able to accommodate. Some even have their regular business hours, such as various fast food restaurants, gas stations and the Neuse Sports Shop.
“It’s the day we live in,” Villager said about companies being open on Memorial Day. “I think it’s OK to be open.”