Paul Bass Photo
Breakfast customers pulled into a clean driveway at Wendy’s for breakfast Tuesday thanks to Patrick Mortley.
Broom and long-handle dustpan in hand, Mortley greeted customers as he filled a box with wrappers (including from Burger King down the street), cigarette butts, and soda cans customers had dumped on the premises at the 75 Whalley Ave. fast-food spot. Next he was headed inside to empty the trash in the bathrooms and put out the straws and dipping cups.
Mortley, 59, works a 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. shift five days a week. He enjoys it, feels he’s making a difference.
“People think the parking lot is their personal garbage. Seems like when they come through the driveway, that’s when they want to empty their ashtrays,” Mortley said during a conversation on the “Word on the Street” segment of WNHH FM’s “LoveBabz LoveTalk” program.
“My job is to clean it up, keep Wendy’s looking nice. When you go to Wendy’s or anywhere to eat, you don’t want to go to a place that’s trashy.”
Mortley gave customers the benefit of the doubt: “I think a lot of them probably do it unconsciously. I don’t think they say, ‘Oh Patrick will come, or some other Patrick.’”
Plus, “I used to be one of those guys who dump [their] ashtray out through the drive-thru. Now I see how it affects others. I’m more conscious now of having to clean up. I used to pop the straw and throw the paper.“ No more.
Mortley has held the job for two years. He previously drove an ambulette for a living in Brooklyn, then moved here to care for a sick relative.
After his Tuesday shift ended, he planned to head home for a nap. Then chances are he might be online indulging in his favorite pastime: chess. He likes the “SparkChess” site because it allows players to take back moves and improve their game in the process.
That has been a lifelong passion, since his teens back in Brooklyn when someone first taught him the game.
“He would beat me and beat me and beat me. I got upset. I went to the library and got a book on chess [by] Bobby Fischer. And I beat him!”
Prompted by a question, Mortley drew a comparison between the Wendy’s drive-thru and a chess board, where the landscape depends on individual decisions.
“Chess is the only game where there’s no element of chance. You can play cards: An ace might come up. A jack may come up. Chess, there’s no element of chance. … Everything is calculated …
“This here [at the drive-thru], you have to make calculated decisions on what you’re going to do and how you’re going to do it. Not throwing straws on the street. Keeping the place clean.”
Click on the video to watch the full conversation with Patrick Mortley on the “Word on the Street” segment of WNHH FM’s “LoveBabz LoveTalk” program. Click here to subscribe to WNHH FM’s “LoveBabz LoveTalk” and here to subscribe to other WNHH programs.
