/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/55352499/Sterling_s_Headshot.0.jpg)
If you’ve ever eaten at Antoine’s it’s likely you’ve seen Sterling Constant’s face. July 7th, 2017 marks Constant’s 50th year as a waiter at the legendary NOLA restaurant (which itself celebrated its own 175th anniversary in 2015.)
At Antoine’s, serving as a waiter is truly a career — one that requires years of training and apprenticeship before actually serving customers on the floor. Constant began his work at Antoine’s at the tender age of 16, as a line cook, then served as an apprentice waiter for five years. 1977 marked Constant’s graduation to full waiter. In the time since, he’s waited on the famous ( Bob Hope, Jackie Gleason), Mardi Gras revelers and hungry local regulars alike. Antoine’s longest-running waiter is also the dean of the restaurant’s wait staff.
Though Constant is now 66, he has no plans on stopping service anytime soon — though he is thinking about cutting back slightly from his five-day work week.
Constant is being celebrated at the restaurant in July 9th at 4:30.