Christine Whelan, FEO, February 20, 2025, VOL. 6 ISSUE 12

Ida Mesi and The Barrel are synonymous and have been for years.

If you’ve grown up in the Fort Erie area and have enjoyed meals at The Barrel Restaurant over the years, you might have noticed that there has been a waitress who seems to have been there since the business started.

That’s because she has. Ida has been working at The Barrel for 43 years.

When we arrived at the restaurant to interview her and take her picture, she was surprised and caught off guard.

We sat at a corner table, and I told her someone had emailed the Fort Erie Observer suggesting we write a story about her. When Jen Wilkinson connected with Dino, The Barrel’s owner, he jumped on board. When we got to the restaurant, the entire staff were aware.

The 87-year-old, originally from Buffalo, went to business school and was a secretary for a lawyer there.

“From there, I worked at the University of Buffalo.” She was living in Fort Erie at that time. “I used to take the bus over to work.”

There was one other office job before she started working at The Barrel.

Working at The Barrel

Ida considers herself a people person and has been all her life. “I started as a hostess in 1981. After a while, I was waitressing,” which Ida preferred since it gave her more chances to talk and laugh with people.

She says she has met so many people over the years that she doesn’t remember everyone who comes up to her remembering her. “No matter where I go, I run into people who know me. The casino. The grocery store. They always ask, is this your day off?” She was even recognized at the airport.

“I never really considered working at The Barrel a job because I get to aggravate my customers and my boss, and he still pays me.” She started laughing.

Ida explained that the Kentros family has always owned the Barrel. She has worked for various family members throughout the years, and now she works for Dino.

Ida and Dino

Ida started working at the restaurant two years before Dino was born.

“I don’t know The Barrel without Ida,” the restaurant owner reflected as the three of us sat at a table. “My parents started the business in 1981.” More specifically, “My mom and her brother started it.”

“We used to chase Dino around,” Ida remembers, causing us all to laugh.

He was the little kid, running around the restaurant and hanging out. He started working as a glass washer when he was 13 years old.

“I grew up here,” Dino shared, “With Ida and everyone else here at the time. Ida’s like family to me.”

“I always call him my grandson,” Ida said.

Dino shared that his grandmother was back home in Greece, so Ida was like a grandmother who came with the business.

I asked them both what it was like to shift from one relationship to another now that Dino is her boss. Dino took this one. “I grew up in the business, working after school and on the weekends. And then I went away to university. I’m a chemist by education and trade. I got involved with the restaurant again, full-time, after university.”

He explained that when he returned, the transition went well. “I feel very comfortable and fortunate to have someone like Ida here for this long.”

He spoke with love. “Ida’s made The Barrel what it is today.” Growing up, he watched Ida with the customers and how she treated them; her hospitality is second to none.

“She treats people like they’re her family. She makes them feel at home. It’s great to see the interaction. It’s great to see the emotional connection. There’s reminiscing. It’s more than just service.”

Ida talked about having fun with the customers. She explained, “Life is so short, and with the way things out there have been going, you got to have a sense of humour,” adding that she knows which ones she can have fun with and which ones would just like their food.

Traditional Values

Dino says they try to focus on the old, traditional values of taking the time to connect with others, to remember, to share laughter, and to tell stories.

“Even with our food. Everything we make is fresh and in-house. Those are the old values my parents instilled in us, and we try to connect with them. This comes with Ida as well. Real hospitality.”

Ida waited on tables for young families when they were just starting out. Those young children are grown up and bringing their children in for a family meal.

Dino shared, “It’s amazing. Someone came in over the Christmas holidays and said, ‘I used to come here with my late father when I was 12 years old. Ida used to serve me. And now I’m here with my child today. That emotional attachment is irreplaceable.”

When asked what Ida would like to say to people her age, she encouraged, “Don’t sit at home. Get out and be around other people.”

Ida notices that she gets the tables with the older folks more often. She figures it’s because she can relate to them better. When I see people come in who are older, maybe they have a walker, I say to them, “You make sure you get out. Talk to people. Just go up the block. Maybe collect the mail. Talk to somebody.” She gets her point across that it’s important to socialize and connect with others.

While The Barrel is one of the longest-living restaurants in Fort Erie, Dino adds, “I would say Ida is one of the longest-lasting employees as well. It’s unheard of for people to work at one place for 43 years.”

These days, Ida works the 5-8 p.m. supper shift, Thursdays through Sundays. Her role at The Barrel is very relaxed now. She does not have to close the restaurant at 1 a.m.

“Ida comes and goes as she wants,” Dino assured.

When she thinks about retiring, Ida thinks about life without being around people. And then she decides it’s not time yet. Instead, Ida takes each day as it comes. She has no plans and no idea when she will stop working. I imagine it will be one day. She will wake up, and she will know. Until then, Ida Mesi will continue to bring smiles to the faces of those who go for supper at The Barrel with a joke or a hug.

To say hi to Ida, you can see her at The Barrel Restaurant, 224 Garrison Road, Thursdays through Sundays at supper time. You know she would love to see you.

Photos taken by J. Wilkinson