Athena Yokubaitis, who is better known as "Athie" to many of the regulars and employees at Freddy's Steakhouse, is as critical of the food she serves as many of her customers.

"I wouldn't want to work anywhere where I wasn't proud to serve the food," she said. "My family eat in there and my friends eat in there, and I wouldn't work somewhere where the food wasn't good. And the food is very good there."

Last month, Yokubaitis celebrated her 40th anniversary as a waitress at Freddy's. She waited her first table at the Steakhouse on Dec. 27, 1967, and has served generations of hungry patrons there ever since.

Yokubaitis, who asked not to divulge her age, was reared in Highland and currently resides in Griffith. She first worked there under the original ownership of Fred Matson.

When he passed away, the restaurant stayed in the family until Crete's Jim and Tammy Kamradt purchased the restaurant in 2005.

These days, Yokubaitis clocks in five nights a week at Freddy's and rotates one Sunday a month with her fellow waitresses.

While her primary role at Freddy's has been serving food, she has become much more to her frequent patrons.

"I wait on people whose parents pass away and console them and I wait on people who are getting married, who propose in a booth," she said. "I'm involved with my customers, and that makes it a rewarding job to me."

Despite the pluses, Yokubaitis does note the hazards and downsides that come with her occupation.

"Financially, if you're a waitress, you don't have a retirement plan," she said. "I have rather erratic hours, so I've probably gained some weight because I probably don't eat right and eat at the wrong time (of the day). But I know people who have jobs that still aren't as rewarding as mine."

Upon reflection of her four decades of service at Freddy's, Yokubaitis says she isn't surprised that she has been there all these years.

"If I'm in a good place and in a good niche, I like to stay in that good niche," she said. "It's a warm atmosphere and it's comfortable, and I just feel like I belong there."

Restaurant co-owner Tammy Kamradt thinks Yokubaitis belongs there as well.

"She's very outgoing and very customer oriented," she said. "She's a great overall person and a pleasure to work with."

But while Yokubaitis takes great pride in her profession, she advises less seasoned to look elsewhere for a career.

"I probably would tell the girls that they should look for (a job) with insurance," she said. "They're younger and you don't know what kind of hand life's going to deal out there for you."

Freddy's Steakhouse is located in Hammond at 6442 Kennedy Ave. It is open 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday, 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, call (219) 844-1500.