It's a family affair at Greco's Pub and Eatery in Oak Creek. Bartender Anna Greco works with her dad, uncle and brother -- and collectively, they've built a popular bar that serves food, not the other way around.
Greco has worked at the bar since it opened three years ago. Located at 10166 S. 27th St., it's literally across the street from Franklin and pulls in a fun-loving crowd from all over the South Side.
"When we first opened, we were in the middle of nowhere," says Greco, but new construction has popped up all around the pub.
We caught up with Anna on a busy Friday night for this latest bartender profile.
OnMilwaukee.com: How long have you been a bartender?
Anna Greco: When I started here three years ago is when I really became a bartender.
OMC: What's your signature drink?
AG: Martini. We have martini Fridays here. To drink, I like a dirty martini.
OMC: What's your least favorite drink to make?
AG: Bloody Marys.
OMC: Everyone says that. Why?
AG: It's horrible. I wish we had the mix. And my Bloody Marys are horrible.
OMC: Oh, so it's not just that they take a long time to make?
AG: They're hard to make to peoples' liking. I always make them way too spicy. People drink them a lot on Saturdays and Sundays.
OMC: What's the crowd like here?
AG: The Oak Creek Power Plant is close, so we get a lot of people after work.
OMC: What's the most ridiculous thing you've seen a bar patron do?
AG: There are people who have run around naked. They jumped on the bar and ran across it, totally naked, on a Saturday afternoon. My aunt and I were working, and there were only three other people in here. We died laughing.
OMC: Have you ever had to break up any bar fights?
AG: There have been a couple, but I haven't broken them up. I usually just watch and let my brother Angelo break them up.
OMC: Do pick-up lines work?
AG: No, not at all.
OMC: Who are better tippers, men or women?
AG: Men. There was one guy in particular who would order one drink and put down a $100 bill. And he doesn't drink, so he'd just order a bottle of water.
OMC: What bars do you go to when you're not working?
AG: Corner bars on the East Side. I don't really go Downtown.
OMC: What's the best part about bartending?
AG: You get to drink! No, it's just fun, and it never gets old.
OMC: Do you drink when you bartend?
AG: Yeah. I try not to drink too much, but it's hard when people want to buy you drinks.
OMC: What do you like least about it?
AG: The weekends and the nights I don't get off. I haven't seen a Friday night in forever.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
