by scott-o-rama » Wed Mar 12, 2014 11:57 pm
Before it was Zlfreds it was Alfreds, in the strip mall at the corner of Dakota and Blackstone. Alfred Melconian was the original owner. As 7th and 8th graders at Fort Miller Junior High (circa '65 - '67) it became our after school meeting place, where we'd flirt with girls and get cokes, fries, garlic bread or whatever else we could afford with our leftover lunch money. One day Alfred's aunt Roxie, the head waitress, asked me if I wanted a job washing dishes there on Friday and Saturday nights. Thus, my life as a working stiff started at age 13 at the pay rate of a dollar an hour. Alfred's kid brother Ronnie, then 16, was the cook. Ronnie & I would close up the place at 9 PM, after which we would prime pizza dough for the next day and mop the floors. Then just before locking up the place we would sit down with a big ol' pizza and have several beers from the tap. We thought we were really cool and sly teenagers, having the place to ourselves and getting fairly plastered while listening to endless free plays on the jukebox. "Bernadette" by the Four Tops comes to mind.
Before it was Zlfreds it was Alfreds, in the strip mall at the corner of Dakota and Blackstone. Alfred Melconian was the original owner. As 7th and 8th graders at Fort Miller Junior High (circa '65 - '67) it became our after school meeting place, where we'd flirt with girls and get cokes, fries, garlic bread or whatever else we could afford with our leftover lunch money. One day Alfred's aunt Roxie, the head waitress, asked me if I wanted a job washing dishes there on Friday and Saturday nights. Thus, my life as a working stiff started at age 13 at the pay rate of a dollar an hour. Alfred's kid brother Ronnie, then 16, was the cook. Ronnie & I would close up the place at 9 PM, after which we would prime pizza dough for the next day and mop the floors. Then just before locking up the place we would sit down with a big ol' pizza and have several beers from the tap. We thought we were really cool and sly teenagers, having the place to ourselves and getting fairly plastered while listening to endless free plays on the jukebox. "Bernadette" by the Four Tops comes to mind.