To celebrate her 25 years of service, Hacienda rewarded Adela Olivo with a plaque above a table of her choosing. She chose table 41 because she was 41 when she started working with Hacienda and it is the first table to be sat during her morning shifts. Photo by Marissa Sweatland.

By Marissa Sweatland
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Adela Olivo was just 14 years old when she had to leave everything she knew. Olivo, her mother and 10 siblings came to America in attempt to escape the overwhelming poverty they had been living in.

“Life was not easy, we were really poor but we appreciated every single, little thing we had,” Olivo explained. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would know two languages.”

Olivo used to describe herself as “shy” and suffering from low self-esteem, but not anymore.

“We see faces but we do not know hearts. This job has helped me break out of my shell. I felt ugly before,” Olivo said. She contributes her new found confidence to her serving job.

Olivo has been a Hacienda “amigo” for over 25 years. She started working at Hacienda, at the Warsaw location, in 1998, the same year that it opened its doors. She reminisced on the training process, and how she was invited to attend the ribbon cutting.

During her time with the restaurant, Olivo has seen other amigos come and go, and servers move up the ladder into management. The people she gets to meet is one of her favorite parts of the job.

“Every day is a new adventure. You never know who is going to sit down at your table. Sometimes people come in to eat just so they have someone they can talk to. It’s nice hearing people’s stories and getting to share yours as well,” Olivo explained.

Because of this bright-side attitude, Olivo has built herself an army of regular customers. She is an iconic part of Hacienda’s team and history.

To honor her 25 years of dedication, Hacienda celebrated her with a plaque above the table of her choosing. She is one of very few amigos that have accomplished this momentous milestone.

“I chose table 41 because it is the age I was when I first started here. Also, because it is the first table to be sat at in the mornings,” Olivo explained.

Getting her 25-year plaque was a big goal for Olivo, so with that under her belt, what is next? When asked about retirement, she just laughed.

“I might be here another 25 years. I will work until I can’t walk, and they will have to wheelchair me from the building right into hospice,” Olivo half-joked. She holds the record of being Warsaw Hacienda’s longest employee.

“My mission does not end here. God will tell me when it is time,” Olivo said.

Until then, you can find Olivo exceeding guests expectations one table at a time.