matt s.

Matt S. | Server

Drunken Fish*

Years of Industry Service: 10

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Matt, born in St. Louis and raised in Columbia, Missouri, is a long-time resident of Northeast Kansas City where "dogs are loose, kids are loose and guns are loose." He lives in a dangerous neighborhood but when you live in the middle of the madness, there's nothing you can do except follow the rules set by the varying cliques that control each part of the neighborhood. Last year, Matt was robbed by three kids at gunpoint. They stole $300 and kicked his teeth in as he begged them to let him go and see his son. "It's not safe. Eventually, they're gonna get you." It cost him $1000 to repair his teeth, but he says, "What are you gonna do? It was three a.m. I was out of bounds." Reporting crimes to the police is not a solution he says, because "they'll get out of jail in four hours and go after you."

Even with crime and his personal safety at risk, the Northeast is his neighborhood and he has no plans to leave. "My neighborhood is a clusterfuck of people." With a rainbow of cultures and races, there's a lot of diversity in the Northeast. Matt's favorite places to eat are El Torito at Van Brunt and St. John and Leon at Belmont and St. John. He is married to Amanda who was also in the service industry. Now, Amanda works from home taking care of their son Matthew, three dogs (Daisy, Sister and Piglet) and one cat (Furby).

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*So far we haven't interviewed anyone who works for a corporate restaurant, but we ran into Matt and his buddy John (also in the industry) out on the back patio at Harry's Country Club. In the second photo, Matt shows us the tattoos on his left arm with the names Emma and Alice, his grandmothers.

Cliques are gangs.

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