Venice House saying goodbye to two longtime servers

Yannacoulias said Venice House serves somewhere between 300-500 meals per day on average. Using 300 meals per day, that means Skibicki and Smail have helped serve over 3.5 million customers in 45 years of shared experience.

Over the years that Smail and Skibicki have been working at the restaurant, there have been many challenges to get through. Yannacoulias said that the two of them have helped save the business on many occasions.

“Honestly, it’s been like too many instances to account. It’s just the consistency that they’ve had, always showing up, always being there. It’s like a rock, like a foundation. You always have them to rely on.”

With so much history shared in the restaurant, Yannacoulias said that both Skibicki and Smail are closer than some members of his family. But, inside the restaurant isn’t the only place that memories have been shared.

After his dad passed away, Yannacoulias shared a special memory from Smail’s wedding.

“Our family’s been so close for the last 50 years. She asked us if we’d be willing to give her away, because my dad and her were really close too, so she would have asked him, but my dad passed away in 2013. So she asked my mom and I to give her away.”

When it comes to what has made the two of them so special, it’s the way they treated every customer so special. While both went about it in different ways, Yannacoulias said that both brought a warmth to the restaurant that helped establish Venice House’s identity.

“They’re both really friendly people and just so well known, like so many regulars know them. It’s because some people they’ve served the parents, the kids, the grandkids and stuff like that.”

The restaurant celebrates their 50th anniversary in December. Skibicki is still serving at the restaurant until July 31, while Smail is already enjoying some time travelling the world.

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nick.nielsen@pattisonmedia.com

by Nick Nielsen

Venice House saying goodbye to two longtime servers

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