When he had to move from Rubio’s to Mountain Mike, Angel adapted

After work, Angel has been chilling at home.

After work, Angel has been chilling at home.

Angel Lopez’s first job was working at Rubio’s but he has moved on from Mexican food to Italian and now works at Mountain Mike’s Pizza.

My job title is both a cook and cashier,” he said. He has only worked at the pizza chain for a short time, but spent nearly a year at Rubio’s. In his current job, he does a lot of things. “I greet customers, take orders, and answer phone calls,” he said. He does all this while wearing his Mountain Mike’s red shirt.

He learned some pretty handy skills when he worked at Rubio’s, skills he could use at the pizza restaurant. “My first job taught me a lot about how to cook and interact with customers,” he said.

He doesn’t always plan to be working in restaurants. “My career plans are faced more towards trades, like welding or ironworkers,” he said. “What I like most about my job [at Mountain Mike’s] is the majority of the time it is calm, but sometimes a lot of people will order in person or on the phone at the same time, which can be very difficult since I’m the only cashier there.

Lopez was raised to have a great work ethic and enjoys earning the money so he can use it the way he feels is right. He makes about $400 a pay period (two weeks), not including tips. He currently works about 20 hours a week, and likes to spend time with his girlfriend or hang out with his friends downtown when COVID-19 is not impacting those opportunities. Even his job change was a result of the lockdown. “I had to find another job,” he said. “I used to work 30+ hours a week, six days a week. For a while, I did not have a job. Overall it was just a big temporary adjustment that I am still getting used to.

One thing I’m really good at is staying productive. If I see something that needs to be done, I make sure it is done,” he said. “If there is any advice I could give” to future workers, “it would be that if you really need a job, keep looking and always call back until you get a definite answer.