For 15 years, John Henningsen has kept hungry lawmakers, lobbyists and executives sated and happy as they rush to meetings with Tallahassees elite.
Henningsens restaurants on East College Avenue and South Bronough Street have been the go-to dining places for guests on the go, and he is often seen behind the counter ensuring his customers get the energy they need.
Henningsen took a break from preparing sandwiches to speak with Sunshine State News about his job and life.
What is your job? Owner of Goodies Eatery
How old are you? 37
Where are you from and where do you live now? I live in Tallahassee, about three miles from downtown. Born in Chicago, Ill., but Ive lived here since I was 2 years old.
Where did you go to college? I went to North Florida Junior College in Madison, Fla., and I went to Florida State University here in Tallahassee.
What degree did you pursue? Business management. I did not get a degree. Im 18 hours shy. I bought a business. This business. I bought it in 1995.
What did you start off as at Goodies? In 1992, when I was a delivery guy. I delivered food.
I just liked the way that Tallahassee was growing, specifically the downtown area. I thought there was a real opportunity. I felt real comfortable being here. And, I thought I could improve the business. Fifteen years has traveled fast, and Ive enjoyed almost all of it.
What is the biggest success youve had in this job? I would say having a great staff. Making key decisions at important moments, but mostly just being part of my business. Weve had a staff of anywhere from 10 people to 30. Sometimes 85 percent of my staff are college students.
What is the most popular menu item for lawmakers on the go? Most of the lawmakers on the go are going to go for one of the specialty sandwiches. Theres probably four or five that come to my mind.
Theres the Gobble Goodie [sliced turkey breast on whole wheat with lettuce, tomato, sprouts and veggie spread], the Turkey Club, and the Beef Master.
What is the biggest or most memorable order you've ever had? Ive fed the governor. Ive fed President Bill Clinton. Ive fed high, big politicians. And thats kind of neat to do.
Its kind of a neat thing in the restaurant business, but I think it happens at a lot of restaurants. I dont think Im unique.
What is the weirdest order youve ever received from a lawmaker? Nothing we cant do. Sometimes they have silly requests, like they want their bagel pinched out. Or they want this amount of cream cheese spread on it
What is the biggest disaster youve ever faced? I cant pinpoint one day, but I can tell you most likely it was behind the scenes. It was probably just stuff where we were extremely busy or we ran out of space.
What was the best advice youve ever received about how to do your job, and who gave it? I dont know who gave it, but -- patience. Patience and attitude. This job, like any other, is 90 percent attitude and 10 percent physical. If you've got a good attitude, you can succeed in anything.
Who is the person you most admire, dead or alive? The people I most admire are my mom and dad. I think they did a great job showing me whats right and wrong, and I think theyre very supportive of me.
What are your interests outside of work? Ive got three children [Olivia, 9, Noah, 7, Grayson, 5] and a wife, and I like hanging out with them. We like to spend time at the pool. We like to play sports. We like to go to the movies. We can play the Nintendo Wii for an afternoon.
I play basketball three times a week for exercise.
Reach Alex Tiegen at atiegen@sunshinestatenews.com or at (561) 329-5389.
