50 years in the restaurant business

“You were on duty as long as the place was full”

Friedrich Sedlacek is actually already retired - but he continues to work.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

You usually hear a lot of huffing and puffing from the restaurant scene. But not from Friedrich Sedlacek: he has been a waiter for half a century - and has no plans to step away from the coffee machine just yet. What kind of guy do you have to be to last that long in the industry?

"My first day as an apprentice was exactly 50 years ago today," says Friedrich Sedlacek. He stands behind the counter at the Kern branch in Graz-Mariatrost - and has done so for almost 35 years now. "This is my life, I need the work," says the 65-year-old. Sedlacek is actually already retired. "But I keep working - because of the guests, not because of the money," he says.