Commentary by Donna Monday
It’s a sure thing in an unsure world – breakfast with your buddies. Just check out the Zionsville eateries. The same folks show up day after day. They all have one thing in common – they like to hang with their friends.
Probably the most familiar face at McDonald’s belongs to Bernie Gorzny.
“I drive school bus #76,” he says, “and come here after the route.” His route serves Royal Run.
Bernie comes to McDonald’s, he says, “to meet people. I’m a people person.” His buddy, Marvin Miller, agrees. It’s not breakfast, it’s “the social atmosphere” that brings him here.
Also at McDonald’s, you’ll find Ermil Akers, his wife, Margaret, and their friend John D. Williams. Margaret said she retired in 2000 and dates their breakfast club since then. “We just come to McDonald’s to catch up on the news.” she says.
John adds that they used to have a larger group, “and we came here every day and sang happy birthday to each other.”
Meanwhile, at Rosie’s on Main Street, pals Bob Harris, Paul Kite, Kip Hostetter and Jeff Hines are hanging out in a booth together for breakfast. All but Jeff are a part of the Kite Harris Property Group.
“We are the evil developers,” says Bob, jokingly. Kip adds that “whoever gets here first chooses the booth.” On this day, Bob was first, but Jeff came the furthest. He lives in Lizton.
At another table sits the smallest breakfast club of the morning, Mary and Dick Williams. “I love their oatmeal,” says Mary. She adds that she also likes the name of Rosie’s, confessing that her name is Mary Rose. “My side of the family calls me Rose,” she says. “Nobody around here knows that.”
Elsewhere, at Brunchies, the largest breakfast club I found actually has a name. They call themselves Anytime Angels. That’s because they exercise at Anytime Fitness before brunching together. The gang here the day I dropped in were Barbara Starkey, Sue Fenton, Andi Hayes, Pat Brown, Jan Bontell, Ann Newman and Joyce Dulin. They say that Julie Baciu, Mary Dooley, and Betty Jersild were absent. Andi is the unofficial ring leader, and it’s her number they call when they can’t make it.
In case you’re wondering about the “Angels” in their name, it’s because they’re always there for one another. I’m guessing that’s true of all the breakfast clubs.
