Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jun 18/99) - Prospector Bar and Grill front end manager, Mark Zimmer, has no problem getting up in the morning as long as he has the essentials to get himself through his busy work day.

"Dianne, coffee," is usually the first words that pass through Zimmer's lips when he and his better half get up in the morning.

Coffee in hand, the next essential item in the day and the life of Mark Zimmer is one TV show guaranteed to brighten up his day.

"I've got to watch Arthur on CBC North every morning," Zimmer says. "It brings the kid out of me each day."

After his morning ritual of coffee, Arthur, and a shave, it is time to go to work and greet the public, but not before checking in with the kitchen staff.

"Hi Putte, go away Randy," Zimmer says as he passes through the kitchen and out into the dining room to set up for lunch.

Zimmer, a Yellowknife resident for the last three-and-a-half years, has been serving the dining public for a long time now and admits, that occasionally, amid the frantic chaos that is the life of a dining-room server, not everything is as it seems.

"I remember when I was working at the Explorer last year and these two ladies came in for supper," Zimmer reminisces. "I thought I heard them say that they had a plane to catch and that they were in a hurry."

"So I rushed the order through the kitchen. When they were finished their meal I asked them where they were flying to. They gave me a puzzled look.

"No, we're going to NACC," they said, and I said, "I thought you had a plane to catch."

"No, but we do have a play to catch," they replied. "To this day they still bug me about it."

Understandably, the stress accompanied with working in the service industry can be daunting at times. How does Zimmer cope?

"I just apply my perma-grin and go with it," he replies.

As in any profession, Zimmer also keeps a modus operandi to function in the daily grind that is work.

"Just seeing happy faces and regulars come in brightens my day up," Zimmer says. "You've got to be very pleasant, relaxed and be able to read people. You have to make people feel at home and a good memory usually helps. It makes quite a difference with your customers."

All in the day and life of the host with the most.