The Work We Do: Terri Schultz, Birchwood of Polish Town

I’m Terri Schultz, the bartender here at the The Birchwood of Polish Town. 

I’ve been here for three years. A normal day is, I set up in the morning. I come in at 10:30. Sometimes I have a full bar right away. It’s usually busy here, so I don’t usually have too much downtime.

I’ve always been a bartender. Well, I started out hostessing, and I just saw the people behind the bar and I just thought I would be good at that, too, so I tried and it was a good fit from the very beginning.

I used to work at my brother’s restaurant in Greenport, probably 17 years ago. I just loved the people. I was a stay-at-home mom and I started out just as a part-time thing. I just began to really like it and it was a great way to meet people and have a good time. I was working in Orient Point, but it was a seasonal thing. I was looking for full time work and I heard they were hiring at the Birchwood, and I came and Danielle, the owner, and I are a good fit together.

I have a lot of regular customers. I have a great clientele here. Everybody is very nice and accepting.

I’m the first person that they see when they walk in the door, whether they sit at a table or at my bar, so it’s a great clientele here.

I make a great margarita and a great Bloody Mary. They’re very popular here. We have a lot of specialty drinks here, so we have whatever you want.

My favorite part about being a bartender is just meeting new people. You know, I have a gift for gab, so talking to the customers is always good for me because I always get to meet more people and get to know about them and where they come from. And I tell them a little about myself as well.

“The Work We Do” is a News-Review multimedia project profiling workers around Riverhead Town. It is made possible by Peconic Landing. See more photos on Instagram @riverheadnewsreview.