Martin continues to wear a “Looney Tunes” tie and pin. Martin even joined the Jones family when the animator received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.Įach Father’s Day, Martin and Jones’ daughter celebrate the life of the cartoonist, who died in 2002. Throughout their decades of friendship, Martin considered Jones a father figure. Jones asked for something to draw on and sketched the Road Runner with a tennis racket and signed it. One night, Jones, who lived in Cameo Shores with his wife and daughter, was dining at Five Crowns. His friends nicknamed him “Road Runner” for his speed. In 1980, he met his best friend, Chuck Jones, the famed animator who drew the Road Runner character and so many others for Warner Bros.īefore Martin became a regular runner, he was an avid tennis player who darted around the court. The “R.R.” is a tribute to a deceased guest whom Martin honors daily.
The Corona del Mar resident, elegantly turned out in a jacket and tie, straightened a jeweled crown pin and a name tag above his heart that read, “Tommy R.R.” I got lucky it’s the biggest part of my life.” “I love being here,” Martin, 75, says on a Friday afternoon before the fine dining establishment in Corona del Mar opened for dinner.
He continues to serve generations of the same families and yet forms new friendships every evening.įive Crowns gave him the honorary “guest ambassador” title for his hospitable service. Martin, whose presence at the restaurant with an English country inn theme has been as consistent and comforting as the Yorkshire pudding and creamed spinach, is celebrating 50 years on the job. During his weekend shifts at the Five Crowns, Tommy Martin will shuffle swiftly between the kitchen, narrow passages and dining rooms to greet patrons and see to their needs.
0 kommentar(er)
