Jo Delahunty Chetter — aka “Josie,” “Irish Jo,” and “Irish Red Jo” — is back at Patrick’s.
The popular server from County Laois, Ireland, went back to visit her native Ireland June 16th.
She’s now back joking and chatting with the restaurant’s customers, who she sometimes calls “laddies” or “lassies” in her Irish brogue.
And diners love her.
She’s been at Patrick’s at 4972 Park Avenue for 18 years, Chetter says. But she worked and got to know people at other places since she moved to Memphis. “I came for a three-week holiday,” she says. “That was in 1992. I fell in love with the pub I worked in and the people.”
The pub was the old Kudzu’s. But Chetter didn’t stop there. “I got a job offer to go to Dan McGuinness Pub. I was there for about three years and then opened Celtic Crossing. And then came to Patrick’s.”
She loves her job. “I can be myself. I can chat with customers in my accent or my way of speaking and joke with them. Having the craic with them. That’s like having the fun with them.”
And, she adds, “It’s a great place to work. A lot of perks. Easy to work with. One of the easiest jobs I’ve had.”
People began calling her “Josie” about three years ago to avoid confusion with another employee. “We had a fellow in the back. His name was ‘Joe.’ I love ‘Josie.’ I wish I had been ‘Josie’ forever.”
Chetter suddenly interrupts the interview. “I need a potato salad,” she calls out. She then says to someone after a bit, “I went by the table and they didn’t have it.”
She resumes the interview.
Chetter says she loves being able to act up with the customers. “I can be a fool. Like laughing and joking and be kind of crazy. A bit of everything.”
And, she says, “It’s more like you’re making a fool of yourself. Really laughing and joking and taking the piss out of people.”
Asked where she gets her energy, Chetter says, “I eat loads of peanut butter and raisins. I’ve always been very active. And it pays off when you’re busy running around taking care of tables, customers’ demands. I built up a tolerance.”
Chetter is also known for her wild-looking red hair. “I think it gives me a lot of personality,” she says, adding, “It’s very Irish. Amadain. That’s Irish for ‘crazy.’ It’s very unmanageable. Very untamed.’
Whether they’re first timers or regulars, Chetter makes people feel at home at Patrick’s. “I have a lot of customers who specifically ask for me. A lot of them wrote to me in Ireland asking me when I was coming back.”
Chetter was away for about four months. “Longest I have not worked in 40 years.”
“I just wanted to go for a holiday and get reacquainted with my family. I haven’t really been at home for a long time.”
She’s gone home for a “quick holiday” on occasion, Chetter says. “To get a feel of what I left behind. I often regret not staying longer.
“I just got that again. I got that feeling of when I was younger and enjoying conversations with my family and sitting by the fire and going for walks. It was really healthy and good. Going down to the moors with the cows and calves looking at me like, ‘Who is this crazy redhead flying down the road?’ And being followed by the dogs and cats like the Irish Pied Piper.”
Her absence made customers a bit nervous, thinking she wasn’t going to return. “A lot of people kept texting me saying they missed me and couldn’t wait for me to come back. I was planning on coming back. I came back about the 16th of October.”
And people expressed their joy when Chetter returned to work. “Oh, my God. There was a banner from the owner’s wife welcoming me back. It was like the ‘prodigal daughter,’ really. I got a massive reception. Overwhelming.”
By the way, Chetter’s actual name is “Josephine.” But, she says, “The only time I was called ‘Josephine’ was at home when my mother was mad at me.”