Gary Gebert is the assistant manager at The Wine Cellar.
WHAT DOES YOUR JOB ENTAIL?
“Although both myself and the general manager have titles, we work on the floor waiting tables as well. It gives us a better rapport with our customers and allows us to keep a close watch on what’s going on in the dining room. My primary duty as assistant manager is to assist our general manager, Wayne Shipley. I help order wines and taste them. I assist with the hiring of our staff, with the exception of the executive chefs, and help train all the employees.” Acting as maitre d’ and booking group events, including the preparation of special menus, is another facet of his position.
HOW EXTENSIVE IS
THE TRAINING?
“You have to be a hands-on trainer with everyone from the dishwasher to the wait staff. Good training is essential to a smooth-running operation.”
WHY DO YOU GET TO TASTE ALL THE WINE?
“The tasting is to determine those wines that will be on our wine list. We have over 250 selections. Part of the consideration is cost effectiveness. When choosing a wine, we also want to make sure the availability is there. You don’t want to pick anything at random.”
HOW LONG HAs he WORKED THERE?
Gebert has been a manager there for 12 years and has been with the company for 22 years. He began with the restaurant as a waiter.
WHY STAY SO LONG?
“I enjoy coming to work. The turnover is low because everybody in the trade wants to work here. I get five to 10 people walk in a day, and as many phone calls, asking about openings. Hopefully, I’ll be here a long time. The owner gave Wayne and I a small percentage of the business. It’s an incentive to do better.”
HOW DID YOU COME BY YOUR POSITION?
Gebert started out as a busboy at the Alhambra Dinner Theatre, then at the Thunderbird Dinner Theatre. “I heard about the Foxfire Inn opening, and went there. It was the only nice restaurant in the area in 1974. It folded and was bought by the Holiday Inn next door.”
DETOUR
For more than two years, Gebert worked at Prudential, sorting mail, ordering supplies and entering data. “I just couldn’t sit in an office all day staring out the window. It was very monotonous. That’s why I have a passion for this job, because of the interaction with people.”
WHAT’S MOST REWARDING ABOUT IT?
“Taking care of customers. Also, it’s good for long-term customers to see I’m still here, to see a familiar face. If you can remember them by name, they like that. They feel important; they feel special.”
WHAT’S CHALLENGING
FOR YOU?
“A high standard of consistency, always striving to be the best in the quality of our food, service and atmosphere. Maintaining that level is a challenge. If there is ever a situation when a customer is not happy, it’s a challenge to fix it. Wayne and I step in to ensure their complete satisfaction because we want to make it right.”
BORN, BUT NOT RAISED
Savannah may be on his birth certificate, but technically, Gebert is a Jacksonville native. “My whole family lives here. They were on a weekend sabbatical when my mother went into labor early.” Immediate family includes his wife Edie, her 18-year-old daughter Allison and the couple’s five-year-old daughter Taylor. They reside in Arlington.
HOBBIES
Admittedly a home body, Gebert enjoys nature shows, adventure/science-fiction movies and working on his home and yard. He is a room parent and volunteer at Holiday Hill Elementary School. For a quick getaway, he likes to go snorkeling and scalloping on the Gulf Coast. Other favorites include waterskiing and fishing with his father.
MET ANY CELEBRITIES?
“I talked one-on-one with the singer Tom Jones. I sat down and had a glass of wine with him. He was down-to-earth, funny and did not put on airs at all.”
ANY PET PEEVES?
“Clutter and noisy neighbors.”
WHO’S YOUR HERO?
“My fifth grade teacher, Mr. Bastin. He took our class to his farm. He showed me how to settle down and start learning instead of playing around. I was always talking and not paying attention. He took a little time with me to help me. I was a C student before, then I started making good grades. He made me want to do better. He had an affect on my life.”
— by Monica Chamness