“I don’t think it’s where you are that makes something important or special,” Mango’s Breakfast Brunch manager Ariana Grajeda said. “It’s who you’re with.”
KELLER, Texas — It takes more than a cursory glance to recognize the holiday cheer at Mango’s Breakfast Brunch in Keller.
About 20 people sat over plates of pancakes or bacon. Two waiters walked hot coffee to the dark wooden tables. The dining room was busier than usual on a Thursday, but this Thursday was atypical.
“They’re just happy to eat together,” manager Ariana Grajeda said. “It doesn’t matter where they are.”
Grajeda chose to work the Thanksgiving shift. She’s opted to work most holidays since she started at Mango’s two years ago.
The people-watching at Mango’s is uniquely rewarding on days like this one. Grajeda said watching her customers appreciate each other over a holiday brunch nourishes her own soul.
“I like seeing everybody,” Grajeda said. “Everybody is so nice. There are people who come from out of town and out of state.”
Some visit Mango’s in place of a home-cooked meal, or to whet their appetite for poultry in the evening. Others have already celebrated.
“Our oldest son lives in Oklahoma,” Shanna Byrnes said, seated with five relatives in the middle of the restaurant. “He is a nurse and he had to work today.”
Duty doesn’t take days off, so the Byrnes gave thanks on Saturday. They’ll celebrate Christmas on the 28th to accommodate their son’s schedule, too.
“We’ve always said we’d rather do it on a different day and have everybody together,” Byrnes said. “It’s not the actual day. It’s the time we get to be together.”
Mango’s will open on Christmas, as well. Grajeda admits the schedule is good for business, but said the staff is motivated by patrons’ rosier attitudes.
“I don’t think it’s where you are that makes something important or special or a ‘holiday,'” she said. “I think it’s who you’re with.”