Boulevard Diner waitress says familiarity best part of job

Jennifer Salgado points to a man in high black socks and a brimmed hat.

"He comes in every day."

He's one of the reasons she and her 18 fellow servers say they work at The Boulevard Diner in Mount Pleasant. The patrons are local, nice and familiar. They smile a little when Salgado stops by their tables.

She stands a few inches more than 5 feet, turquoise earrings swing from her ears as she flits from table to table. If not wrapped into a bun, her brown hair would fall below her shoulders.

She's worked at The Boulevard for five years, taking orders from regulars who no longer need menus and sometimes adjusting orders for those who know about the kitchen's flexibility. A fellow server takes the high-socked man's order.

"And can I have a side of chili, too?"

"You mean the kind we put on dogs?" the waitress asks.

"Yeah, that's good — and with blue crumbles please."

Two dozen others sit around them. There are six Clemson University girls over there, two businessmen next to the big window reading over lists and numbers. One of them hurries outside to answer his cell phone.

Laughter from a nearby table drowns him out. His voice trails off as the diner's door eases shut.

It's not a stuck-up restaurant, Salgado says, and that's why she likes it.

The hostess escorts a group of seven to the table closest to the front counter, and Salgado greets them. One woman gives a rundown of the menu to the rest of her group. She came for the first time four years ago. Her blond daughter orders a grilled-cheese sandwich.

It's the kind of place where people come in multiple times a day. The routine is calming for Salgado and her patrons. It goes without saying they're comfortable with one another.

An elderly man in gray slacks leans to the hostess and half-covers his mouth, "I'll be back for lunch." Behind them a woman walks out the door, accidental- ly taking a freshly filled coffee cup.

Reach Chase Purdy at cpurdy@postandcourier.com or 937-5709.