Serving tacos with a side of smiles

MOSES LAKE - For some people, "retirement" is a four-letter word.

And local woman Joy Esposito definitely falls into that camp.

The 70-year-old woman still dons a name tag and visor 20 hours a week to work the window, staff the counter and makes as much of a difference in her customers' days as possible.

Joy is a rare breed: someone who truly enjoys interacting with people and genuinely loves her work.

And in the service industry, that's not something always easy to maintain.

"I enjoy it. I enjoy talking to people. To me, there's nothing more interesting than people. Even crabby ones. I like to see if I can twist it and make them smile. I just like people, I guess," Joy said. "Feelings are contagious and customers will respond to you in the same manner they were treated in."

Her manager, also her daughter, Julie Esposito agreed.

"When she's not here, I'm probably asked a handful of times where she is," Julie said. "I was talking to a customer the other day and he said, 'You know, I've got to tell you. She treated me like she's known me all of her life.' And he searches her out every time he's here."

Born in Shelton, Joy was raised in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood. She's worked in and around the service sector nearly all her life.

She and her husband Sal just celebrated their 53rd anniversary. The mother of two has worked at such swanky digs as Marshall Field's in Chicago, and had a bakery in North Bend for a time.

The couple retired to Moses Lake four years ago, in the loosest sense of the term.

While Joy tends to customers at the restaurant, Sal spends time in the back of the house, dealing with the orders.

That lifetime of passion for people has seeped through Joy's job performance at the Mexican eatery, and infected many customers who come through the doors.

Retirees Joan Adolfson and Beth Mahn, both Moses Lake, have been coming to each at least once a week for the past four years.

"We're on a first name basis," Adolfson said. "They even know our orders."

"Joy is a joy," Mahn said. "She smiles and greets everybody, and lets you know that she's happy you're there."

And while everyone is trained to greet customers as they enter a business, Joy seems to take it to the next level.

"She cares," Julie said. "It doesn't matter who it is, and it doesn't matter if she doesn't know them. She just cares, and that comes out in everything she does."

The soft-spoken Joy blushes quietly when she hears her daughter and customers heap on praise.

"I think I'm going to cry," she said.

The working woman also takes time to listen and get to know her customers.

"My personal opinion is that the Lord puts people like Joy in your life to just keep you going," Mahn said.

Her husband passed away eight years ago. And meeting and talking to Joy, it turns out both women's husbands lived in Chicago and served in the military at the same time.

Mahn said that time spent sharing with Joy has really made a difference.

"She really sets the example. She takes pride in her job every day," Julie said.

And while not saying much, Joy rarely hesitates to share her motivation:

"I love life," she said. "I'm thankful every day I get up,  and I'm blessed."