The One and Only Resident Bartender of Mundare Sausage House
When Marian Stawnichy’s phone rang back in May of 1985, she had a hunch about who was on the other end of the line. It was her cousin-in-law, Edward E. Stawnichy, and he wanted her to help run his new deli location in Edmonton. Marian was avoiding him at the time because she wasn’t really interested in working. She also knew that her respect for Ed would win out in the end, and it was only a matter of time before she was back to work.
“He said I have been looking for you for over a month now!” She howls with a laugh. “Get your behind to the store because I need you to help me with the business. And that was more than 30 years ago.”Marian Stawnichy
She has seen a lot of things change in those years, such as the fact that the cases of sausage used to weigh more than 50 pounds back then. Or that she was also tasked with buying everything from the soda pop to the candy items. But, even as the adage goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. And for her, that means customer service and following the same principles Mundare Sausage has always followed, in terms of taking care of our customers as our top priority. In her case, maybe too much of a priority.
“To be honest, Marian is kind of like our resident bartender behind the counter,” says Colette Hennig, manager of the Uncle Ed’s and Mundare Sausage House locations, and daughter to Ed. “Customers always share everything about their lives with her – from their health to their families to even their vacations.”
Marian explains that it is really easy at times to take care of our customers because she says they are our own brand ambassadors. She sees it all the time… perfect strangers standing in line telling each other what to buy or what to try for the first time. It makes her feel happy because it’s our customers that made us what we are today and will continue to do so as we move forward into the future.
But, she takes on a different look when asked about Ed and she pauses to think back on his memory. “Ed was the most generous man I ever met,” she marvels. “He was very good to the customers, and he made sure their voice was always heard. He wanted all of his customers to be treated like family when they opened the door to Mundare Sausage House. And they are still treated that way to this day!”
And so, more than 30 years later after taking that fateful call, she is here helping carry on his family legacy. She makes sure to keep the banter light behind the counter and to bring out the same in her customers. To her, laughter is music to the ears. Her experience has shown her that customers love walking into a room full of laughter because it makes them feel more at home. To this day, she still carries out the same job Ed asked her to do in the spring of ’85, and takes care of our customers like family. So, drop by for some of our world famous sausage and make sure to ask for her. Our resident bartender is always ready and willing to hear your story.