Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Little Chef waitress retires after 50 years
COATESVILLE » Few people enjoy their jobs enough to stick with them for five decades, but even those who do have to move on eventually.
After working at the Little Chef restaurant for about 50 years, waitress Cindy Fillman decided it was finally time to retire. She completed her last shift at 1 p.m. on Monday.
Fillman, 66, was born and raised in Coatesville, and started working at the Little Chef when she was 14. She said she’s worked off-and-on at the Little Chef since then, occasionally working at other restaurants, but in total she’s probably spent closer to 52 years working at the Little Chef.
She started out washing dishes at the restaurant, and later switched to waitressing. She’s also cooked and handled other jobs, such as fixing equipment in the kitchen. “I’ve done every job that needs to be done,” she said. “You name it, I’ve done it.”
Fillman said her favorite item on the menu is the chicken pot pie, which is a dinner special at the Little Chef on Wednesdays. Several members of Fillman’s family have also worked at the Little Chef, she said. In fact, her mother used to be the head chef, and came up with the recipe for their chicken pot pie. Cindy Fillman’s sister, brother and daughter also worked at the Little Chef at different points in time.
A lot of things have changed at the Little Chef since Fillman be-
“I’ve done every job that needs to be done. You name it, I’ve done it.”
— Cindy Fillman
gan working there. Prices for items on the restaurant’s menu have increased over time. When she first started, the price for a cup of coffee was 29 cents, but now it’s $1.59, she said.
Another big change Fillman witnessed at the Little Chef is the change of ownership at the restaurant. Brothers John, Nick and Pete Lymberis bought the restaurant in 1999, and continue to own and manage it. They all started working at the Little Chef when they were in their early teens, and they were trained by Fillman. Their mother, Olympia Lymberis, also works as a cook at the Little Chef.
Fillman said she remembered Nick Lymberis working as a busboy when he first started. “He was my busboy in his teenage years; now he’s my boss.”
Pete Lymberis said Fillman is hard-working and dedicated to her job but also a people person who got along with everyone.
“It’s going to be hard to replace her,” he said.
After starting out at the Little Chef, John Lymberis left to work at Harry’s Hot Dogs for about 10 years, and when he returned to buy the Little Chef with his brothers, Fillman was still working there. “I go with the building,” Fillman joked.
Over the years, Fillman left a positive impression on the Little Chef’s patrons, and attracted many regular customers.
“I have a lot of regular customers, a lot of years, a lot of people,” she said.
Two of Fillman’s regular customers who were at the Little Chef on Fillman’s last day were Jay Long and Val O’Neill. They said they have been coming to the restaurant for about 10 years.
Fillman gives great tips on life, and always puts smiles on people’s faces, O’Neill said. “We’ll miss seeing her. She was a staple of the diner,” she added.
Long said the restaurant’s staff and customers are like a family.
“The Little Chef won’t be the same without her,” he said.
John Lymberis said he’s happy for Fillman because she’ll be able to spend more time with her family now that she’s retiring, but he’s also sad to see her leave the Little Chef.
Fillman has been married to her husband, William, for nearly 49 years. She has some relatives in the area, and she also has four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, some of whom live in different parts of the country.
She said the first thing she was going to do after her shift ended was get a haircut, and get ready to leave for Las Vegas. She had a flight scheduled for Tuesday morning.
Fillman said she’s not much of a gambler, but she enjoys the scenery, shows and other attractions in Las Vegas, which she usually visits at least once a year. She said she would spend a week in Las Vegas, and after that she was going to visit her grandson who lives in Portland, Oregon.