As pool balls crack through the hall, Estella “Stella” Moralez Reyna moves between tables, balancing plates and greeting customers with a warm “mija” or “mijo.”
Reyna has worked at Señor Loco Mexican Restaurant, located inside Romine’s High Pockets at 6125 S. 27th St., for more than 30 years. Over the decades, she has become a familiar presence to regulars who return to see her as much as they come to eat or play pool.
Before coming to Señor Loco, Reyna worked at another Mexican restaurant, Acapulco Lounge, at South 6th Street and West National Avenue, from 1980 to 1993. After her departure, the lounge was permanently closed in 2007. Many of the customers she met there followed her when she moved to Señor Loco.
One of the longtime regulars that followed her is Jeff Castillo.
“We know Stella actually from back in the old days, from Acapulco Lounge,” Castillo said.
When Acapulco Lounge closed, Castillo and others kept coming to see her, saying that her friendliness and personal touch make the place feel familiar.
“You saw how she greeted me. She greets everybody. You always feel at home over here,” he said.
Reyna jokes that she has a terrible memory for names, “But if they talk to me and tell me something about their life, I remember that,” she said.
Her coworkers note how their manager’s warmth shines through her work. Nevada Sanchez, who has worked alongside Reyna at the restaurant for more than a decade, described her as fun, hardworking and incredibly sweet.
“She’s the fastest old lady waitress I’ve ever met,” Sanchez said with a laugh. “She’s our work mom.”
For Reyna, the relationships she builds with customers are both the best and hardest part of her job.
“Meeting your customers and you don’t see them again, you know, when they pass away? That’s the worst thing,” she said as she paused and wiped away tears.
The COVID-19 pandemic made those moments more common. Reyna said she lost several longtime customers and eventually stopped asking “Where’s the better half?”
Even after long shifts, Reyna often stays to make sure parties run smoothly and guests are taken care of. When approaching a table, she said she always looks for the youngest person first.
When asked what has kept her there for nearly three decades, Reyna didn’t hesitate.
“The customers,” she said.
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
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