The Player's Championship!!

The heroes of the week!!

SUPERSTARS ABOUND AT TPC!  

Hey wait, I'm not talking about Rickie Fowler, or Rory McIlroy, or Matt Rapp, for that matter...  I'm talking about the TacoLu superstars who worked their butts off to push out over 15,000 tacos during the week of The Players alone...

I have a quick list of people who really made last week what it was:  SUCCESSFULL, FUN, WILD, EXCITING, CRAZY and certainly INTERESTING:

I would like to thank: 

Debbie Nicol, my wife and babymomma. Even on crutches, she's a force. Deb was behind the 8 ball all week, with recent knee surgery not going as well as expected.   She was helping everyone with anything.  Stoic, like FDR, few people knew she was supposed to be off her feet this entire time.    

Jeff Hoff. Kitchen Manager, for executing the kitchen like a boss. Planning, ordering and executing the food for TPC week at TacoLu alone is tough, but add Tacos on Twelve and it’s a whole new ballgame. Not only does he plan and execute that, he is trapped in the truck for 6 days making the tacos!

Josh Kessler. Josh probably saw every taco go out at Tacos on Twelve this year. From the beginning he was on the expo line. Never giving up, barely taking a break--just pushing tacos out, one “boat” at a time. Like last year, he planned the margarita and sangria program for Tacos on Twelve and executed it darned-near perfectly this year!

Candace Bradshaw:    Three words: Open to close.  Candace was there early and she was there late. Every day.  She handled the money, organized the staff and schedule with Deb and did a great job. I can't tell her enough how big that commitment was to us!  

Rianna Byrd. Rianna may have kept Candace from imploding during the week,  and she did it with a smile on her face, at the register for 6 days at Tacos on Twelve. Just having Rianna around makes everything a little more pleasant for us all!

Brad Todd:  Any guy with two first names is usually of dubious reputation, but Brad kept it steady between the truck and the Expo line… He “dressed” probably 98 percent of all the tacos sold at TPC.

Kylie Keach.   I'd like to thank Kylie for her great attitude, spritely disposition and a work ethic that's hard to find in any kid her age.  

Spencer Cox:   Spencer, ironically, has the same work ethic. Score one more for the Lu. To have two youngsters that can really get it done is pretty cool. We're lucky to have them both!  

Chelsea Donovan:  Reluctant to run a cash register, Chelsea found her niche calling out names for 6 days straight. If you bought a taco at Tacos on Twelve, then Chelsea was calling you to come and get it!!  

Clain Manthei. Clain begged to be in the truck. Got his rear end kicked and then covered his next shift in the kitchen at TacoLu to do it again. Literally in the truck for the entire day, head down, eye on the tortilla, for about 6 hours nonstop. And he thanks me for getting to do it??  

 

Chris Worsham. Out of retirement to sweat it out, making tacos for two days straight. I'm not so sure he's as happy about is as Clain is, but I was glad he was there.  

Frank O'Rourke. Thanks for wearing that little pink shirt on Sunday 

Keller Kilpatrick. Keller, too, has a work ethic like Spencer and Kiley and a personality to match. Score one more for TacoLu. Great attitude, hardcore dishwasher, great guy.  

Brandi Christovic:  I’d like to thank you for managing Andy and keeping him busy throughout the day. Tough job, but who better to pull that off than you?  

Christine Flannagan:  Flanny. For one day, that one day, you killed it! Kept going and kept going and when I thought I couldn't take it any more, you charged on. You’ve always been a bad-ass.   

Wyatt Thompson: That pink headband made my week!  

Kevin Millwood.  Kevin also got worked like a dog and kept thanking me for getting to do it. He got us out of some pretty big jams over the course of the week...  

Brad Patterson:  Captain Brad. Money. Jacked up the truck and stayed at expo with Josh. For at least two or three days straight...I can't remember. He appears from nowhere in the booth and then crushes it all day long.  

Jo Guerrero. Super strong early in the week. Great dance moves, great attitude. We missed you on the weekend! 

Jack Amthor. Back from University of Alabama, fresh from his freshman year--all over it this week. 9 for 9 baby. Awesome  

Travis and Sara from Trasca & Co. Because I ate there probably 6 times over the week and I can’t wait to go back. 

Mark Davoli. I still thank Mark Davoli, from Metro Diner, for taking the time to help us understand what we were getting ourselves into for the 2014 Players. I'm 100 percent sure that without his guidance, we would have flailed last year, been utterly miserable and would never have returned to Tacos on Twelve for another year. So, Mark, if I didn't say it enough last year, thank you again for your time, your help and insight!  

Everyone who worked on Sunday, gave up Mothers Day to do so and that isn’t lost on me and Debbie.  Mom’s should be proud of their kiddos who worked so hard! 

LASTLY, AND PROBABLY SHOULD BE FIRSTLY:

I’d be the biggest jerk in the world if I didn’t recognize the people we left behind at the restaurant all week while we were out on 12!!   Eric Douglas, Heather Anne Callaway (née Puckett), Ka$h (every once in a while known as Kaitlin Ash), and Tom Doran held it down like the superstar management team they are at the Lu!  Tacos on Twelve absolutely could not happen if not for you guys back at the ranch!!  I hate to leave you out of the Tacos on Twelve fun because I feel like you are missing a lot down there, but the truth is, we are missing all the fun at the Restaurant during the week of the Players.  I hope you feel the same way. 

Also, Teri, Dan, Nina, the Parr Bros., Maggie and Graham, and all the rest of the staff who stay up in Jax Beach to get it done!!  

I also must thank Andy Tucker, my lifelong friend, who did more than suggest the hilarious Roger Maltbie Contest! He wrote the email that got it all started, sent it to me saying, "I have an idea you might like!"   What a stroke of Genius that got more traction than anything else this past week!!  I was already buried in TPC stuff and NEVER would have been able to pull it off without him tipping me to the point of "This has to happen"!

Well, that wasn't quick at all, but I hope you understand how big an undertaking this week of The Players is.  There is no way Debbie and I could possibly pull any of it off without all these people, plus the (literally) 100 more people behind the scenes at the restaurant.  

I humbly thank you all.  I've compared TPC week to having a baby on several occasions this past week because it's a brutal, sometimes painful week. I was asking myself why I endure this, but, when the pain wears off in the next few weeks, we'll start to get excited about doing it all over again in 2016!  

I'm calling it now:  Next year, Roger Maltbie makes an appearance at the Restaurant!  And Rickie Repeats.