In 1998, a university student in Perth, Australia, left a pizza delivery job at a Pizza Hut in Como to take a position at a Subway in Northbridge. The decision was practical. The delivery role paid poorly after accounting for fuel and vehicle maintenance on a hand-me-down Mitsubishi Magna. The Subway role, while physically demanding, kept him off the road and offered a different kind of rhythm.
The Demands of the Midnight Shift
The new job required working from midnight until 5 am every Saturday. The work involved more than assembling sandwiches. It included emptying bins, baking bread daily, and cleaning tables. The food preparation was rigorous. One task involved squeezing large amounts of mayonnaise onto shredded seafood extender and massaging the mixture by hand. Despite the repetitive nature of the work, the employee found pride in being part of the restaurant operation.
The Northbridge location sat in Perth’s nightlife precinct. This setting meant the staff encountered a wide variety of late-night customers. The shift attracted clubbers, police officers, bouncers, and international sailors. The atmosphere varied from humorous to tense. Some customers would lean against the sneeze guard and laugh at the term “footlong.” Others, particularly those with intimidating tattoos or terse answers, made the staff cautious.
Encounters with Sailors and Locals
A distinct group of customers appeared when American sailors were in port. Their arrival was marked by their clothing, often Fubu brand, and their desire for familiar American food. They typically ordered BMT melts, which contain salami, pepperoni, ham, and cheese. The employee recalled the sheer volume of these orders, noting that being rostered alone to handle a group of 15 sailors was a daunting prospect.
Local Perth residents had different preferences. Most chose hot fillings such as meatball, steak and cheese, or chicken fillets. Cold-cut sandwiches were rare among locals. The contrast between the sailors and the locals highlighted different cultural habits and expectations. The sailors were often perceived by locals as being there primarily for romantic encounters, but the employee observed that many were simply young men seeking work that allowed them to travel and support their families.
The job also brought unexpected moments of human connection. The employee spoke with customers about media, religion, and sports. One customer was a national-level windsurfing athlete. Another was a guest on day release from a correctional facility, who was open about his situation. These interactions provided a window into lives very different from the employee’s own sheltered upbringing.
From Sandwiches to Storytelling
The employee was studying journalism at the time. The Subway job did not directly lead to a career in food writing, but it provided valuable lessons in observation. Laying out tomato slices and handling pickles offered time to listen and talk with customers. This experience taught the importance of understanding the human story behind any subject, including food.
The job also involved dealing with troublemakers. Most incidents were harmless, such as customers using cups with cut-out bottoms to spill drinks. However, there were moments that could have escalated. The presence of police and bouncers, who received discounts from the boss, helped maintain order. These late-night hours in a busy Perth suburb provided a unique education in human behavior, one that would later inform the employee’s work as a writer.
Source: The Guardian
