At Berkley High School, students have a variety of jobs at many different places. In this article, I will be narrowing in on Senior Riley Melville’s job at Mother Handsome. I will find out what Melville’s job consists of and what makes her job more unique than others.
Mother Handsome is a restaurant that is located on West Eleven Mile that recently opened on July 2nd. It is a cafe by day and a pizza and cocktail restaurant by night. As soon as you step inside, you are greeted with bubbly decorations and a spacious, vibrant atmosphere. Melville described the restaurant as, “Not fancy at all, very casual.” Melville expressed that she applied for the job online in early June. She went to the interview and was hired the next day. “I started training soon after I got the job, and then I started working as soon as they opened.” Melville’s role at Mother Handsome is diverse, including duties as a “barista in the morning, a bartender at night,” and occasionally working as a food runner. She also mentioned the importance of being 17 because “people who aren’t 17 can’t legally serve or hold alcohol, so they won’t be able to work the bar. You would only be able to work at the cafe in the mornings.”
Describing her typical workday, Melville enthusiastically shared, “Right when I get to work, I usually am put on the espresso bar. I love working at the espresso bar because I get to work with the espresso machine and make coffees. My favorite drink to make is a latte because I get to practice my latte art.” Melville described latte art as, “art with the steamed milk in a latte.” Shifting from coffee preparation to customer interaction, Melville explained, “I don’t work register very often because I am quick at making coffees. But, when I do work it, I get to talk to people. I love to make small talk, especially with random people.”
Addressing the topic of work-life balance, Melville shared, “I have a pretty good balance because I work with my friends, so I don’t really think I struggle to balance work and hanging out with friends. I enjoy working with my friends because it makes our shift go by faster, and we all work well together! In the summer I worked about 20-25 hours a week.” Melville added, “I also have been playing Rugby this fall, so I’ve been working less, but since Rugby is over, I plan on working more.” When asked what Melville’s favorite thing about her job is, she expressed, “The best thing about my job is working with my coworkers. They are all very sweet and the customers are amazing too. The owners are also really great and since it is a small business, they take everything you say into account.”