While the frequenters of the Upper-East Side’s Dresner’s have a great familiarity with one another, nobody knows the customer base better than the friendly staff, especially waiter Javier Giraldo. One can’t help but think of Dresner’s as a real life version of the hit TV show “Cheers’” hangout, as the patrons are so well acquainted with one another, that whispers of questions such as “who is that guy” can be heard whenever a less familiar face steps into 96 year old tavern composed predominantly of a wood and brick interior, where the 65 year old Giraldo spends the majority of his time.
Giraldo, who is better know by the nickname “Stretch” due to his lanky build, has essentially become a fixture at Dresner’s after working there for over 50 hours per week for the past 18 years. There isn’t a regular Giraldo doesn’t know, or an item on the menu he can’t describe to you in detail. He is the face of Dresner’s wait staff, and because of vintage style of professionalism, there couldn’t be a more fitting individual to be dubbed the captain of the staff.
“I’ve known Stretch for years, he’s a very good waiter,” said regular customer Ken Snyder. “He’s here everyday it seems like.”
What truly makes Giraldo so good at his job, all comes down to his lengthy resume in the restaurant business, that goes back to his teen years.
Born in Medellin, Colombia, Stretch moved to the United States at the age of 16 in March of 1964, where he initially settled in New York City, but after three months decided it would be more beneficial for him to live in Kansas City, where he started working in a hotel restaurant.
“I decided [Kansas City] was the best place to learn English,” Giraldo said. “Because here in New York, most of the people I lived with spoke Spanish and never practiced English, and I need to learn English in order to finish school here.”
After improving his English and gaining experience as a Waiter, Giraldo then moved to Palm Beach, Florida where he continued to build his qualifications.
“I knew somebody in Florida who worked at the Colony Hotel in Palm Beach, and I got myself a job working as a waiter,” Giraldo said. “I worked the winter season there, and then I came back to New York again.”
Upon returning to New York, Giraldo worked as a waiter in a Westchester country club, but was soon after drafted by the United States Army.
“I was drafted by the army, but decided that I wanted to go into a different branch of the service, so I went into the Navy,” said Giraldo.
After doing his Military service, which played a role in helping him become an American citizen, Giraldo once again returned to New York 1970 where he found a job as a waiter in a Spanish restaurant in Queens called “Del Inca,” where during his seven years of working, he got married, and saved enough money to open his own restaurant.
“I had enough experience, and I was working hard, so I got together with a friend of mine and we bought a place from an Italian fellow I knew in Flushing,” Girlado said. “Bachagaloop’s restaurant”
Giraldo enjoyed owning a successful restaurant for an extended period of time, but eventually started to see business decline.
“Eventually I started to lose a lot of my customers as the demographics of Flushing started to change, and there just wasn’t a lot of interest in Italian cuisine anymore,” Giraldo said. “Also, I had an issue with the landlord, so I had to close the place.”
After closing his restaurant in 1995, Giraldo found his current job at Dresner’s, and has spent the last 18 years working just as hard as he has his whole life.
“Stretch always takes his work very seriously,” co-worker Bernadette Pry said. “As soon as we open up everyday, he’s ready to go until closing time.”
While Giraldo was disappointed to lose his business, he still feels he has a lot to be proud of, especially his two daughters that have both graduated from College, with one of them working for Coach, and the other working in cancer research. To Giraldo, his life in America has been a success
“I did it all on my own, and I’m very happy,” Giraldo said. “I would do it all again.”