By Brandon Hoffman
On a standard Tuesday night, you may find yourself hard pressed to get parking at The New Albanian, located at 3312 Plaza Drive, New Albany.
After circling the lot repeatedly and finding a space to park, you will enter on the left side and be consumed by the overwhelming sound of laughter and conversations. If there were a place on earth where you could find friendship as a sound, it would be here.
An intricate component to this is, Tabby Elble one of the many servers that work at The New Albanian.
Once seated, you can select your drink from the chalkboard next to the register. Many of these drinks have graphic novel quality designs for their brews such as “Hoptimus”. Elble travels from table to table, helping customers, like a coordinated dance.
A veteran server for more than 20 years, Elble is quick to smile and has been working at The New Albanian for the past 10 years.
She shows her experience with straws in her left pocket, a note pad in her right, and a distinct ability to make friends with strangers. She makes each customer feel valued with the limited time she has. There is a strong possibility that she will remember what beer you got last time and will ask if you want one.
Money is not the primary goal of working at The New Albanian for Elble.
People are the reasons that she loves her job:
While at The New Albanian, often Elble takes time out of her rather busy day to sit across from the customers that frequent The New Albanian. However, these relationships are much more than a standard patron-client relationship; it is a friendship. Her face lights up with genuine excitement upon the arrival of one of her friends.
Being a server is not her primary job. She stays at home and is the mother of three children. Being a server allows her to have the flexible hours she needs to raise her children.
In addition to the flexible hours, Elble talks about the ability to make as much as a 40-hour work week job with only a few shifts since The New Albanian keeps such good business.
While some customers show up, want their drinks and food, and won’t like much interaction, many will prefer to have a level of interaction or engagement with their server. Being personal and allowing the connections to form are important.
She remembers and asks about children is important to many customers. Even something are as simple as remembering their drink
“If you are a creature of habit you will bode to do well with me. I may not have remembered your name after the first time you came, but I remembered your drink,” Elble said.
One strong feeling customers get upon entering the New Albanian is a sense of family or community both with and between employees and customers. Elble as well as one of the owners, described The New Albanian employees and owners as one big family.
Elble said that they spend nearly every New Years with each other and employees even exchange gifts before the Christmas holiday.
Two sisters, Amy Baylor and Kate Lewison, own the New Albanian. Together they manage both of The New Albanian’s current locations.
According to Lewison, the New Albanian provides a bit of pride in the surrounding community. The best part of the company is that, due to the company’s longevity, the employees, such as Tabby, are able to watch as generations and families grow and develop.
Our employees are very important to us. Most of time is spent carefully selecting them if an opening appears, which doesn’t happen too often, Lewison said.
Dakota Porter, a 22-year-old Louisville resident and New Albanian customer, said that he goes to the New Albanian rather often, even with all of the bars and options in Louisville.
“I try to make it out here at least once a month with my friends. It is a great atmosphere with wonderful beer and servers such as Elble. I strongly encourage others to go and frequently hear about it on the other side of the river,” Porter said.
On a standard Tuesday night, you may find yourself hard pressed to get parking at The New Albanian, located at 3312 Plaza Drive, New Albany.
After circling the lot repeatedly and finding a space to park, you will enter on the left side and be consumed by the overwhelming sound of laughter and conversations. If there were a place on earth where you could find friendship as a sound, it would be here.
An intricate component to this is, Tabby Elble one of the many servers that work at The New Albanian.
Once seated, you can select your drink from the chalkboard next to the register. Many of these drinks have graphic novel quality designs for their brews such as “Hoptimus”. Elble travels from table to table, helping customers, like a coordinated dance.
A veteran server for more than 20 years, Elble is quick to smile and has been working at The New Albanian for the past 10 years.
She shows her experience with straws in her left pocket, a note pad in her right, and a distinct ability to make friends with strangers. She makes each customer feel valued with the limited time she has. There is a strong possibility that she will remember what beer you got last time and will ask if you want one.
Money is not the primary goal of working at The New Albanian for Elble.
People are the reasons that she loves her job:
While at The New Albanian, often Elble takes time out of her rather busy day to sit across from the customers that frequent The New Albanian. However, these relationships are much more than a standard patron-client relationship; it is a friendship. Her face lights up with genuine excitement upon the arrival of one of her friends.
Being a server is not her primary job. She stays at home and is the mother of three children. Being a server allows her to have the flexible hours she needs to raise her children.
In addition to the flexible hours, Elble talks about the ability to make as much as a 40-hour work week job with only a few shifts since The New Albanian keeps such good business.
While some customers show up, want their drinks and food, and won’t like much interaction, many will prefer to have a level of interaction or engagement with their server. Being personal and allowing the connections to form are important.
She remembers and asks about children is important to many customers. Even something are as simple as remembering their drink
“If you are a creature of habit you will bode to do well with me. I may not have remembered your name after the first time you came, but I remembered your drink,” Elble said.
One strong feeling customers get upon entering the New Albanian is a sense of family or community both with and between employees and customers. Elble as well as one of the owners, described The New Albanian employees and owners as one big family.
Elble said that they spend nearly every New Years with each other and employees even exchange gifts before the Christmas holiday.
Two sisters, Amy Baylor and Kate Lewison, own the New Albanian. Together they manage both of The New Albanian’s current locations.
According to Lewison, the New Albanian provides a bit of pride in the surrounding community. The best part of the company is that, due to the company’s longevity, the employees, such as Tabby, are able to watch as generations and families grow and develop.
Our employees are very important to us. Most of time is spent carefully selecting them if an opening appears, which doesn’t happen too often, Lewison said.
Dakota Porter, a 22-year-old Louisville resident and New Albanian customer, said that he goes to the New Albanian rather often, even with all of the bars and options in Louisville.
“I try to make it out here at least once a month with my friends. It is a great atmosphere with wonderful beer and servers such as Elble. I strongly encourage others to go and frequently hear about it on the other side of the river,” Porter said.
