Waiters Race has thrills and spills
By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
John Ryan Fry was the man to beat at the annual waiters race in Palmer Square Thursday afternoon.
"I think there’s an arrow in my back," said Mr. Fry, the two-time defending champion in the men’s bracket.
For the fourth year in a row, waiters from Princeton restaurants participated in a contest that tests their ability to not spill drinks even as they are moving at a fast walk or slow run around Palmer Square. This year, 59 contestants—28 women and 31 men — came from 16 restaurants and cafes in town.
The contest, run by the Princeton Merchants Association, is broken up into men’s and women’s divisions. The top two finishers of four heats or preliminary races went to the finals — where prizes awaited the winners.
"I hope I do well," said Theresa Kalfass, a waitress at Teresa Caffe on Palmer Square, before her first race. At 44, she said she was representing the "old school crowd" against a field of much younger competitors.
The race started in front of the Post Office, went around the square past the Nassau Inn, turned left onto Hulfish Street and then another left up "heartbreak hill" and back to the starting/finish line. Competitors had to balance two glasses of water, one open beverage container and one sealed container on a tray.
The trick was to make sure they didn’t drop any of the items and to minimize the amount of spillage.
The competition last year was at the Princeton Shopping Center, on a flat course. Returning to Palmer Square, the streets run up and down — an added challenge to the waiters akin to a golfer having to putt on an undulating green.
For Mr. Ryan of the Yankee Doodle Tap Room, this was the third time he was competing. In each of the past two years, he won the men’s bracket. But this year, he said he had to be talked into entering.
Fellow contestant Jay Outhier, a waiter at Triumph Brewery on Nassau Street, was in the race for the first time. Though he would not be the winner this year, he and the other racers would look up to Dan Speck of the Witherspoon Grill and Lauren Hoey of Mediterra — the two first-place finishers.
Each received $250 and other prizes. But for Mr. Speck, he said this year was about seeking "redemption" after he took a wrong turn during last year’s race.
Sporting a pair of Christian Dior sunglasses, Ms. Hoey said later that she thought her shades were key in her win.