Bartender of the week
Stef Jaksic of Fat Daddy's
By Tim Cigelske
Stef Jaksic is 5 feet, 2 inches tall and 110 pounds, and she is not about to take any crap from anyone.
"Being a woman and being as petite as I am," she says, "I have to be that way, or I'd get walked all over."
She's not kidding. At Fat Daddy's, she has been known to haul off and wallop regulars trying to get under her skin. For this, she is known as "Spitfire."
"I have a very short temper," she admits. "Definitely."
Her intensity is also what makes her so popular at this south side sports bar, known primarily for its huge outdoor volleyball leagues. After all, who really wants a timid bartender?
Jaksic, 25, is dynamic in more ways than one. She helped institute outdoor winter dodgeball and is a tireless advocate for charity events at the bar. She's constantly organizing raffles, volleyball tournaments, even pickle eating contests to raise money for causes such as cystic fibrosis, leukemia and breast cancer.
So raise a glass to a good cause at Fat Daddy's. Then sit back and watch the regulars do their trademark dances to "Total Eclipse of the Heart" or "Bye Bye Bye." Good times.
Most popular drink "Any kind of bomb or Miller product. We go through 18 kegs of Miller a week."
Underrated drink Powers Irish whiskey. "It's a lot smoother than Jameson. It's excellent. I'll start off with that stuff, then I have to switch or I just get mean."
Overrated drink Long Island Ice Tea. "It doesn't even taste good. Not to mention I got sick off those. Not a big fan."
Most unusual request When she worked at another bar, a bachelor party came in asking her to give the future groom a lap dance.
Bartender pet peeve Bargaining. "I hate it when someone says, I have $5. How many shots can I get?' If you don't have the money for five shots, don't order it."
Bartender horror story Jaksic once learned her limits the hard way when she couldn't make it through a shift after drinking too much. "I couldn't pour a shot of Jager for the life of me," she said. "A bartender is supposed to know their limits, and that night I didn't. At all."
http://www.mkeonline.com/story.asp?id=355684
