Christine Grimard
Northern News Services
Published Friday, September 21, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - From suits and ties to jeans and coveralls, Jen Pike sees people from all walks of life come through the doors of the Black Knight pub.

Located on 49th street, the bar is a convenient place for police officers, lawyers, politicians, and government workers to stop by for a drink.

But when the uniforms and suits come off, and the beer starts flowing, Pike said there isn't much difference between your average pilot, mine worker or cop on the street.

"You get just as many people who are hard to deal with in every bunch," said Pike.

In a typical day, Pike will see the older crowd slide by after work, with younger patrons stopping by at night. While the later crowd gets a little rowdier, Pike doesn't put it past the after work crew to have a good time.

But these loyal clients can trust their server to maintain a degree of discretion. When pressed for good stories about what our cops and lawyers do after a few drinks, Pike would only say that our local authorities know how to have a good time.

Serving alcohol all night, Pike gets to see nearly everyone in good spirits.

"Just knowing what a stressful day they had, I always see them in their happy place," said Pike.

She said one advantage of working at the bar is that her friends stop by her workplace often to visit, and they can keep her company most of her shift. Try pulling that off at a government job.

"I love serving my friends, it's no stress at all," said Pike. "I forget about them and they don't care."

At 22, Pike's been waitressing for the past seven years. She started in her hometown of Harbour Grace, Newfoundland working at the same restaurant as her mother. Moving to Yellowknife two-and-a-half years ago, she's been at the Black Knight Pub ever since.

A self-confessed social butterfly, Pike said one advantage of working at the pub is all the people she gets to meet.

"It's easy to make friends, you always see the same people," said Pike.

Walking down the street, the young blond can greet half the people she sees by first name, and whisper which drink they prefer.

Another thing keeping Pike at the pub is working every day with her best friends.

"It's never a drag to go into work. We pretty much always have a blast," said Pike. She noted that even "Steve-O," the regular bartender who will scarcely give even his best customers a friendly greeting, is a lot nicer to work with than he appears.

While "Steve-O" may be frowning, Pike keeps her smile as she said being friendly is a key to a good waitress. She does gives one small warning to her customers who want to keep her in good spirits.

"Whistling and snapping is not a way to get my attention," she said. "You can call me by my name, thank you."