Beloved Sardi's bartender Joe Petrsoric retiring after 55 years
NEW YORK -- It's the end of an era at the legendary Sardi's restaurant in the Theater District as a beloved bartender retires after a run longer than any Broadway show.
When his work shift ends, it's the last "last call" for Joe Petrsoric.
Even at his own retirement party, the 78-year-old still did all the work -- shaking, stirring and pouring, which he's been doing at the legendary Sardi's restaurant for 55 years.
"I love what I do. It was never hard. I used to make 2,000 drinks a day," Petrsoric said.
It was 1968 when he started working at Sardi's, a premiere hotspot for show people both then and now.
At the restaurant, 1,500 celebrity caricatures hang on the walls, and as the number one bartender, Petrsoric got to know hundreds of stars. He says being star struck was never his style.
"Like, people go crazy. Come on. Be normal," he said.
"Treat celebrities like normal people?" CBS New York's Dave Carlin said.
"Yes," Petrsoric said.
There is one star he likes best.
"This is my favorite caricature, Jack Lemmon," he said.
"Because he's your favorite guy," Carlin said.
"He's my favorite guy," Petrsoric said.
A photo shows Lemmon playing piano at Sardi's back in 1986.
"He would come to the bar with everybody, chat with everybody, having fun... That's what you want," Petrsoric said.
It was bittersweet fun as patrons celebrated with him.
Petrsoric will move to his native Croatia to live in the house he grew up in.
"Look, that's what I miss, all these people. Look, all this for 30-40 years. I've known him 40 years, I've known them 30 years," Petrsoric said.
"I came to New York to be an actress in my 20s... A 26-year-old who didn't have any money, he could've been like, 'I'm gonna take care of these people who tip me better,' but no, he was just a gracious person," Midtown resident Peggy Kennedy said.
"We used to talk about outer space and sudoku and those were common interests," Washington Heights resident Lois Darlington-Rossi said. "There's always some new thing to learn from Joe."
Petrsoric is a single dad with kids who are grown, so it's time, he says, to shake off big city life and pour himself into a new adventure.