After Hyland left, I waited on another friend, Brian Murphy, who is Pat McCurdy's road manager, a Wauwatosa native and a regular customer of the location. While Murph was finishing his burger and chili, OnMilwaukee.com salesperson Erin Ulicki, strolled in with her son, Reese, who seemed more excited about a passing train than the grilled cheese and fries that I served him.

While Erin and Reese were eating, I looked across the restaurant and noticed a gentleman chatting with Twyla next to the grill. Since Webb's is a friendly place, I figured it might have been a regular customer.

I was right ... and wrong. The "customer" was Philip Anderson, the Whitefish Bay businessman who runs all George Webb restaurants. Anderson and his wife, Sandy, had dropped in for a bite and a chat with Pantuso.

Of course, the rookie got to wait on them. Fortunately, I didn't make any major mistakes. The Andersons, as it turned out, were the nicest customers you could imagine.

"How would you like to work a shift on Sunday?" Philip Anderson asked.

When I told Anderson that I'm a regular customer at 122nd Street and North Avenue, he laughed and said: "That's our busiest store. We can find something for you to do."

I chatted with the Andersons for a bit, then went back to say goodbye to Erin and Reese, who were getting ready to leave. In a scene that probably plays out dozens of times a day, Erin left behind Reese's sippy cup. I caught up to them outside and delivered it.

As I cleared some dishes, I begged the Anderson's "Please don't tell my wife. I don't want to have to start doing this at home."

The Andersons paid their bill (you'd think they could get food for free, considering ...). Feeling pretty solid about my serving skills, particularly with Ali handling a counter customer and a booth, I decided to go watch Twyla work the grill for a while. There were two things I wanted to know in order to advance my own culinary skills.

I wanted to see how to manage multiple burgers on the grill and pick up any secrets I could. I also wanted to know how cooks at Webb's restaurants make pancakes so fluffy, delicious and symmetrical.

Just as Twyla was showing me the ropes, a father and son walked in from little league practice and ordered a bag of six burgers for $5 (that's the special with the Brewers score five or more runs in a game). Twyla started with the large, hot grill. She put the patties on one side, piled some onions nearby and began toasting the buns on the other side of the grill.

The secret, as far as I could tell, was in the timing and the assembly. The patties are relatively thin, so they cook quickly on the hot grill and don't need much flipping.

Just before the patties were finished, Twyla would take the bun bottoms on the counter and place the onions on the middle. She then placed a slice of cheese and a bun top on each patty. After allowing the cheese to melt, she used a spatula to unite the tops and bottoms into a burger.

She worked at lightning speed, which prompted a question: "What's the most burgers you've ever made in a shift?" I asked.

"Probably about 250," she said.

With my shift about to end, I made it my last official duty to place a carryout order -- for myself. I had to take home a sack of six burgers and some pancakes to give my 8-year-old for breakfast the next morning.

You see, the pancake secret has been puzzling me for years. You can make a good pancake at home, but they never seem to be the same size or fluffy consistency.

The secret was quickly evident: perfectly proportioned batter placed in a pancake dispenser, a funky-looking contraption that puts a perfect amount onto the grill, which was very hot.

"You just kind of get a feel for it," Twyla said.

That's the way I felt about my evening at George Webb. I don't know what it's like to work overnight or on a busy weekend morning, but I have a pretty good idea what it's like to serve on a Thursday night.

Considering that today is National Hamburger Day, and cheeseburgers are $1 apiece, I just might go back tonight.