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Steamboat Springs has more than 70 restaurants to satisfy the dining impulses of a growing base of long-term residents and more than 10,000 visitors who check into lodging properties on any prime week in the summer and winter tourism seasons.

Food servers at those restaurants do more than deliver entrees to tables.

For many guests, they embody the personalities that define the resort experience.

Steamboat residents who have never waited on tables cannot grasp the complexity of the job - it requires a buoyant personality, the ability to multi-task and a great sense of timing.

Skilled waiters and waitresses sense when to do their jobs silently and efficiently, and when it is appropriate to inject some extra life into a party's evening.

The job comes with enough stress to inspire recurring nightmares among many food servers.

Lee Parker

Harwigs/L'apogee

Length working and favorite part of job

"I've been working in restaurants since I was a kid. I worked here at L'apogee from 1994 until 2000 and just returned last spring. I'm really glad I did. The team we have and the fun we have together are my favorite parts of the job. I studied music at the University of Utah, and I've been able to play piano some Friday nights at the restaurant. People come out of the dining room and stay to hear me play. That's just great."

Pre-game ritual

"Every night is a little different, and there's often some nervous energy in the air, so I make sure I get something to eat and go for a little comic relief. The people who work here respect each other and take care of one another like no place else I've ever been. So, you take five minutes to chill, and then you dive into it."

Celebrities

"I've waited on former Bronco Bill Romanowski - I made him a brandy green peppercorn cream sauce tableside for his steak. Also, (PGA golfer) Tom Watson, TV actor Steve Erkle, and (blues guitarist) Derrick Trucks."

Dreaded words from customers

"The dissertation here is a big part of the job, so you want to do it strong and do it properly. If you are tentative, you have to recover from it. The words I don't like to hear are anything that indicates the customer is unhappy, like 'Can I speak to someone?'"

Embarrassing moment

"A couple of times, when I was really busy, I've made a mistake about the gender of someone. I've said something like, 'Thanks man! I mean, ma'am.'"

Nightmares

"I used to, but I haven't had one for a long time. One of the funniest I've heard is from a friend who dreamt she was trying to serve draft beers in saltshakers."

Biggest tip

"I haven't received it yet, but I have had some big ones over the years."

Vicki Schlegel

Canton Chinese Restaurant

Length working and favorite part of job

"I've worked here for 24 years - more than half my life. My favorite part of my job is the guys in the kitchen. They make my life easy. It's a great job because of them."

Pre-game ritual

"It's a job. I get up early Monday through Friday at 6:30 a.m. with my son, Spencer; spend time with my husband, Gary; get the day together; work; come home; make dinner; and do it again. I do the best I can every day, no matter what."

Celebrities

"Yes, I've waited on celebrities. So what? I waited on John Ritter (while he was acting on Three's Company). But locals are the ones who put the bread and butter on my table. I'm here for the locals."

Dreaded words from customers

"'When is it going to snow?' I'm a waitress. Do I look like a weather person?"

Human nature

"I treat everyone the same. I wait on them like they're my kid. Be patient, be kind and be nice. It's simple if you care about what you do. Just do it."

Biggest tip

"About $100. Anyone willing to give more, come on in. My shift is Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m."

Karen Jimmerson

Mambo Italiano

Length working and favorite part of job

"I've worked at Mambo Italiano since they opened six years ago. It's a fun, fun lively restaurant with great food, and I don't have to keep a lid on it. My first restaurant job in Steamboat was at the original Cameo in 1970, and I have worked at many since, including the one I owned with Sandy Jenny, the late, great Soupcon."

Pre-game ritual

"I make sure that the rest of my life stays happy and balanced. I spend a lot of time playing outdoors and also on the couch with a good book and my feet up."

Celebrities

"If by celebrity you mean People magazine, no I have not. And I assume that anyone going out to dinner wants to do just that."

Dreaded words from customers

"I just try to have as much fun as possible, period."

Human nature

"People generally respond to you in kind. Grouchy often just means hungry."

Embarrassing moment

"One night, I was explaining an appetizer and said that it came with our award-winning marijuana sauce when I meant to say marinara sauce. I cracked up and then did the same thing at the next table. They were young twentysomethings who told me to skip the appetizer and just bring the sauce!"

Biggest tip

"I hope it is still to come."

Daryl Newcomb

Cafe Diva

Length working and favorite part of job

"I've worked at Cafe Diva for nine years, and my favorite part of the job is the people I work with."

Celebrities

"It's exciting taking care of people who have achieved such success, but they are also ordinary people who deserve to be treated just like everyone else, which is the way most of them prefer. I am living my dream of ski bumming, and waiting tables is one of the best occupations for achieving that dream. Naturally, I am a ski fan, so I am thrilled to wait on ski celebrities.

I have waited on four champion skiers and three that at one time or another have called Steamboat home: Billy Kidd, Jarle Halsnes and his wonderful family and Hank Kashiwa. The fourth champion skier did make me very nervous: Jean Claude Killy (the greatest)."

Dreaded words from customers

"Our modern lifestyle in the U.S. has created some unforeseen and unusual challenges. Since the '80s, the allergy issue has come to the forefront of our industry."

Human nature

"Some individuals may be perfectly stable in their environment, yet cannot choose from a menu - the choices seem too overwhelming."

Embarrassing moment

"Oops! Mistaking someone for someone else and not just for a moment, but also throughout the entire meal. My situation was very embarrassing and will not be revealed here. They may be reading this magazine right now. No thanks."

Nightmares

"We all have these dreams, but my experience is that the better run the restaurant is, the fewer nightmares. I still have one occasionally, but thanks to Cafe Diva, they are almost nonexistent."

Biggest tip

"The biggest tips aren't necessarily because of the amount. They are really the ones that you did not expect. And here's a nice aside I would love to share with our readers: People are not cheap. That aspect is considerably exaggerated. On the contrary, most are very generous and kind."

Pre-game ritual

"I go skiing or biking nearly every day, followed by a pre-work nap."

Fred Untch

Old West Steak House and Old Town Pub

Length working and favorite part of job

"I've worked at six different restaurants. I've worked at the Old West for 14 months. I also work double shifts - lunch at the Old Town Pub and dinner here. My favorite part of the job is meeting new people every night."

Pre-game ritual

"I listen to music in my car on the way to work - anything positive, like bluegrass. Make it Yonder Mountain String Band."

Celebrities

"I waited on NBA center Keith Van Horn of the Dallas Mavericks in Evergreen. It was interesting because he ate half our menu."

Dreaded words from customers

"I hate hearing, 'Filet mignon, well done.'"

Human nature

"Judging someone when you walk up to the table is not a great outlook on life. Treating everyone like your best friend is kind of what I've learned. Everyone's got a good soul."

Embarrassing moment

"Just a few weeks ago, I was fumbling with a steak knife that was sliding off a plate. It was smeared with ketchup. I dropped it down the back of a lady's fur coat draped over a chair at the next table. There was ketchup all down her coat."

Nightmares

"Yes, and it's never the same. Sometimes we have a shortage of help, or people are being extremely angry with me for reasons that are outside my control and I can't describe the reasons to them. Other times, I'm running around in circles."

Biggest tip

"Last winter, 15 people came in, and the main guy gave me $100 before they sat down and asked me to take good care of them. They had an $800 tab, and he gave me another $250, making it a $350 table."

Maryedith 'Merdy' Davies

The Shack Cafe

Length working and favorite part of job

"I've been in Steamboat for 24 years and worked at The Shack for 18 1/2. Before that, I worked at Mazzola's for five years. My favorite part of the job includes my fellow employees and the local customers. I see kids grow up here. They come in as babies and they go off to college."

Pre-game ritual

"I love it when it's busy and slightly chaotic. I feed off the energy. The more business, the better."

Celebrities

"John Elway no comment."

Dreaded words from customers

"Some people ask, 'What's good here?' When I'm really busy, it's hard when people ask, Where can I buy some snow pants?'"

Human nature

"Kill 'em with kindness, and the customer is not always right."

Embarrassing moment

"We had a family of 10 come in one summer and the young boy accidentally stabbed himself with his fork. He went to the bathroom to wash it off and when he came back he was all upset. He totally passed out at the table and his mom started freaking out. I called 911, the ambulance came and they checked him out. It turns out he just liked attention. The paramedics were rolling their eyes."

Nightmares

"Yes. I had this dream that I was visiting my parents' home in Cypress, Calif., and this guy Don, who comes into The Shack, (knocked) on my parents' window. I remember telling him, 'My Mom has coffee on, so come on in.' I woke up laughing after that one."

Biggest tip

"I received $100 from an anonymous local, but to me 99 percent of our customers are generous."

Lance Steady

Rex's American Grill and Bar and Mazzola's

Length working and favorite part of job

"I started working for a summer resort in Vermont about three years ago. After two seasons, I had a friend convince me to move to Steamboat in November 2006. Since then, I've worked for Mazzola's and Rex's. My favorite part of the job is interacting with people all day. I was never good with sitting at a desk unless I was sleeping on it. So this keeps me awake."

Celebrities

"About three years ago, I was bartending at the wedding of the guitarist in the band Guster. Josh Hartnett and Scarlett Johansson were in attendance. She was really nice and drinking whiskey and ginger."

Dreaded words from customers

"I get tired of reciting anything printed on the menu! The worst thing to hear is, 'I'm allergic to,' fill in the blank."

Human nature

"I've learned that when people come in to eat, you have no idea what kind of day they have had or what is happening in their lives. So, even if they seem distant or grumpy sitting there in their seats, you still just want to give them the best experience they have ever had in a restaurant."

Embarrassing moment

"All I can say is, even if you think it's going to be silent, don't fart at your table!"

Nightmares

"Quite often, I'll awake with a fright after (a bad dream). I'm at the restaurant and it's a busy night. I mean the tables are full and there is a wait at the door. Things are going good and then, all of a sudden, everything is falling apart. I'm totally in the weeds with no help. Tables have been sitting for hours before I get to say 'Hello,' and people are shouting. Then I wake up wondering if I'm that bad in real life."