By Kelli Samson
I want you to think back to your first job. Maybe you were selling cards at Hallmark, like me. Maybe you were washing cars, mowing lawns, or pushing shopping carts.
Remember what a big deal it was to finally be making your own money and to have someone besides your mom to answer to?
Now take all that nostalgia and throw in your brother or sister.
That’s been the reality for Haley Bryant and her younger brother Mason, who both work at Vic’s Pizzeria.
“It’s entertaining for people,” says Haley. For himself, Mason adds, “It’s kind of like a safety blanket.”
I interviewed Haley and Mason one rainy morning at the West Olympia Vic’s location, where Mason primarily works. Haley is the manager at the new Wildwood location after working for three years at Vic’s flagship restaurant.
We sat among the new purple chairs – Haley with her long locks and tattooed arms, and Mason in his hip stocking cap and sweater. They have the quintessential Olympia look down pat.
They have history with this Olympia hot spot. “I’d come here a lot in middle and high school with my friends. It was like a special little treat,” recalls Haley. Their older brother’s best friend worked at Vic’s for years, and she thought it would be a fun job.
Mason started hanging around his sister’s place of employment when he was in high school, and last year he started as a dishwasher.
This is how cool it is to work at Vic’s: when Mason was first hired, he caught me in the hallway at Capital High School (CHS) where I am a teacher, twirled around and squealed, “I’m a dishwasher at Vic’s!”
“Vic’s is an Olympia staple,” says Haley. “I feel very proud to tell people I work here.”
One fabulous thing about working at a popular restaurant in a town like Olympia is that one can feel like royalty. “My biggest achievement was last weekend at Safeway, “ recounts Mason. “This girl came up and said, ‘I saw you at Vic’s last night!’ I thought, ‘Finally!’”
Haley adds, “We see customers everywhere. There’s the 80-year-old woman I see at the store and ask, ‘Hey, Mary! How are you?’ Or the 13-year-old boy who says, ‘That’s the girl from Vic’s!’ Your community widens a little bit, working here.”
And community, it turns out, is very important at Vic’s.
“I’ve always known there’s a very strong community here in Olympia, but it’s cool to see it with food, especially at Wildwood,” says Haley. “We buy all of our produce from Spud’s Produce Market next door. There are really strong connections, and I love that. Vic’s is probably my favorite place because it’s a great place to come together and look at bigger things.”
Mason appreciates the diversity of the clientele. “Vic’s introduced me to all kinds of people here in Olympia. There are nice people that show you the flicker of light in humanity, like when someone busses someone else’s table.”
He likes to play a game sometimes when he’s taking orders by trying to guess what the people in line are going to order. “Every once in a while,” he says,”there will be some big, burly guy with a big old beard and a hunting cap who asks for the Vegan of the Day.”
One has to wonder how siblings get along in the work place.
“It’s just been like working with a friend,” says Mason. “We just go and goof off for four hours and then go home.”
Big sister Haley adds, “In the beginning it was really hard for me because I really worried about him and needed to mother him because he was really anxious.” As the last year has gone by, however, “It’s been really easy to communicate,” she says. She knows she can count on her brother.
She doesn’t think they’ve bickered at all, but her younger brother sings a different tune.
“There have been times I have been annoyed with her,” says Mason carefully, “but it hasn’t been a big deal.”
After their collective four years at Vic’s, they have some pizza recommendations.
Mason loves the mix of pesto, garlic, spinach, feta, and chicken on The Sherman. “I always feel badly when customers ask me, because it’s the most expensive one!” he says. “I feel like a Material Girl.”
Haley’s favorite is The Carter, available only at Vic’s Wildwood location. It boasts garlic oil, Brussels sprouts, bacon, Parmesan, and balsamic vinegar. “It’s so good, especially the texture of the Brussels sprouts.”
Up next for this dynamic duo? Sadly, moving on from Vic’s.
Haley will soon finish up her degree in Gender Studies at The Evergreen State College. “Vic’s is definitely something that ties me to Olympia. That’s really hard to think of cutting from. I feel so attached to the owners, the building itself, and the people I work with,” she says.
Mason graduates from Capital High School this June, and he’s hoping to attend college outside of Olympia. “I’ve lived in Olympia all my life. Maybe it’s time to get out.”
One thing is certain. When this pair of siblings one day reflects upon their first jobs, they’ll get to do it together.
Maybe even over a pizza at Vic’s.
