Lenny & Joe's Fish Tale Alumni Page

Over the past 25 seasons, we have been very fortunate to have hundreds of dedicated and talented people as a part of our team! We are very proud and grateful for their contributions to the success of our Restaurants. We consider them all part of our extended Fish Tale Family and appreciate their efforts! This page is dedicated to all of our past and current employees. We invite past employees to send along e-mails & pictures and let their fellow employees & customers know where and what they are doing today? We look forward to hearing from you!
Thanks, Lenny & Joe

Please Send Your E-Mail To webmaster@ljfishtale.com
Former Fish Taler Tom Merrill Displays a Fish Tale Bumper Sticker on a Navy F-18 in the Middle East!
Tom Merrill, from Clinton, CT, worked at Lenny & Joe's while he was a High School student at the Morgan High School.Tom enlisted in ther Navy after graduating from High School. Tom is a second class petty officer; AM 2. He deployed September 1st, 2005 with the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group (TRCSG) in support of the Global War on Terrorism with his squadron VFA 15 Vallions. He is responsible for launching, recovering, and maintaining the F-18 Super Hornets. He works mainly on the flight deck or "Roof" of the carrier. They have been in the Persian Gulf and nearby waters providing maritime security and air support to ground operations ongoing in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Steel Curtain.

 


Mike Derken was the First Fish Tale Employee in 1979. He worked during High School, College and Graduate School (and beyond), and was with us until the early 1990's. Mike is married to Kathy, and they have 4 beautiful children, Matt, Kelly, Erin and Meghan! They are pictured above in their 2005 Christmas Card along with Zurg!

We received this e-mail from Jenn on 1/20/06 Thanks Jenn

Hey Joe and Jim!

It's Jenn Graves and it's been a long time. I worked at Fish Tale in Madison through high school circa 1995 to 1999, and it was probably the most fun i ever had at a job. The people i worked with became best friends and the best memories of my life! i still talk to a few of the "crew" and wish i didn't lose contact with so many more.
Things are going great for me. I graduated fron Southern Conn. State Univ. in January 2005 with two degrees in Early Childhood Education and Mental Health Psychology. Since then, I have been teaching preschool in Branford, and recently found out I'm pregnant! My wonderful boyfriend and I are expecting our little bundle of joy Sept. 3, 2006, and we are so very excited about it!
I hope that all is well at "The Tale".... I can still hear Joe barking at me at 8:00am on Saturday mornings followed with, "Jenny G, if you got time to lean, you got time to clean Sista!" Ha ha. Still makes me laugh!


Jenn Graves
On June 17th Patty Leonard and her 4 boys were in for lunch! Patty worked at the Family Restaurant from 1989-1992. She was joined at lunch by her sister and brother-in-law from Wyoming and her two nieces! Patty is pictured above with her 4 boys (Christopher, Colin, Braeden & Dylan) and her two nieces.... (Jessica and Amanda) July, 2004
Jen, who waitressed for many years (right up to this Spring), came in for lunch and introduced her 7 week old son Jack to her co-workers. Mom and Jack are both doing terrific!

On October 25, 2003 we heard from Kelly Fowler (now Petrucci) in Florida. She was that wonderful hostess that greeted so many of you for so many years at the door at our
Westbrook Family Restaurant. Kelly We Miss You and hope that you will surprise us one year and make a Christmas Party!
Hello Everybody!

It was so good to see everyone when I had my first visit back to Ct. Since I left 12-01.And those steamers mmm-mmmm great!The weather here in Central Fl. is awesome! Very crowded but I am getting used to it.We are just getting ready to move farther out into the country to 2 1/2 acres. We are so excited.Walt says now we will HAVE to listen to country and western music,me I say no way, just shoot me first,no offense I just don't care for it or should I say fer it! If I can figure out how to work the digital camera I will send a picture.I guess Jeff will know how to do that! He is now 15! Wally soon to be 8 ! Both doing well. I still hear from some of my favorite customers. Mrs.Lebowhich and a few of my other favorites and I still
exchange Christmas greetings,I miss you guys alot,well after 12 great years at Fish Tale I should! Speaking of Christmas I still hope to surprise you guys one of these years by popping in at the AWSOME Fish Tale Christmas bash! Who knows maybe this year?! Well bye for now.
Kelly Petrucci
On October 4, 2003 Mike Bruening Celebrated his 40th Birthday at our Westbrook Fish Tale! Mike came to work with us at the start of our 2nd Season at our Original Drive-In Restaurant. He worked while in High School and then every summer during his years as a college student! (1980-86) He now resides in Trumbull CT, with his wife and young son and daughter! He is now a loyal customer! Mike says Hi to all his fellow co-workers!
Mike and his daughter celebrate, while his son was busy coloring with Mom at the Table!
It's hard to believe that he reached his 40th before Lenny & Joe! Way to GO MIKE!
We received 2 very nice letters below. On September 18, 2002 we received this very touching e-mail from Connie Kramer. We enjoyed having her as an Employee at our Madison Drive-In. Her e-mail fills in the details! Thanks Connie! We Miss You! In Nov, 2001 we heard from Donna Papastavrou, who waitressed in the Westbrook Family Resturant in the late 1980's! Donna was one of our floor captains, and we were all disappointed when she and her family moved from Connecticut!
 Look who we saw and heard from in May 2001! Remember Alaina Robson! She worked both in Madison and Westbrook in the mid 80's and early 90's! Here's Alaina's E-Mail update and she included some terrific pictures of her family! Thanks Alaina! We Miss You!

September 18, 2002 To the Best "Crew" around!

Hi everyone! I'm pretty new to the cast of alumni. I worked at the Madison Fishtale from May of 1997 to October of 2001. I have to say they were some of the best times I can remember. I was new to CT in 1997 and when I was hired that Summer I started making friends that have outlasted my tenure as a cashier. I was there, along with many of you, when the Carousel was being built. It was so amazing to see it come together and turn into such a wonderful testament to Lenny and Joe's commitment to their community. It is amazing to see how far the reputation of the Fishtale has spread. My brother-in-law, while stationed in Bahrain (Persian Gulf) met a Serviceman, the men struck up a conversation. Low and behold, the other Serviceman's in-laws also lived in CT and he was very familiar with Lenny and Joe's. Imagine, all the way in the Middle East!
I left Fishtale in October of 2001 to move in with my sister and my neices when my Brother-in-law got called to serve in Operation Enduring Freedom. My time there will always be remembered not only for the friends I made but for everything I learned. Working at Lenny and Joe's actually helped me get the job I have now. I live in Manassas, VA and work in DC as an auditor. My current boss was impressed at how long I had stayed at one job and the variety of things we had to do. Who would have thought that working in a restaurant would help me get a job as an auditor at an accounting firm! (Plus the recomendation from my former managers probably helped too:) !
As those of us who have worked there know, Fishtale friends turn into an extended family. There is no other job like it.
To everyone at the Madison Fishtale that I worked with, I miss you all (and the parties at my house)!
I hope everyone is doing well!

Connie Kramer

Nov 1, 2001
Lenny and Joe,
Hi! Remember me? It's Donna Papastavrou. I just found your web site-it's great! I needed a good laugh. We are all doing fine. Chris and I are still happily married(going on 19 years-I was a child bride...).Believe it or not, my daughter Crystal is 16 and a junior in high school. My twins will be 11 in april aand are in 5th grade. I am waiting tables at the99 restaurant in Waltham,Ma. One of these days we'll be visiting relatives in Ct. and stop in for a bite.Hope all is well with everyone there.
Love,
Donna

May 6, 2001

Dear Lenny & Joe,

Hello...It's Alaina Peebles (formerly Robson) It's probably been 12 years
since I've seen most of you. I can't believe it's been that long! I was
only 18 when Tim Brennan approached me at UConn and asked if I'd like to work
at the the old Madison Fishtale. It's been 16 years since that day and I
have a lot of fond memories of the summers I spent working multiple jobs at
both locations. Those Fishtale parties were always a blast!!

I have lived in Cincinnati for the last 10 years now and I love it, but I
really miss Connecticut... Nothing can compare to the beauty of New England.
My youngest daughter and I were visiting a college friend in CT this weekend
so we had an awesome lunch at Lenny & Joe's before we took a long walk along
the beach.

Joe, it was so nice talking with you and John today! I visited back in
October and saw Lindy (who is as beautiful and sweet as ever) but I missed
Lenny, Joe and Jeannette.

I hope to visit again with my whole family one of these days. I have
attached a couple pictures for you. My husband's name is Steve and our
daughters are Cassidy (4), Natalie (3) and McKayla (14 months). Yes, our
house is hopping all the time. It's crazy, but we love it.

Thanks for the great lunch... We can't get good seafood in Cincinnati!!
-Alaina

P.S. Our email address is lainsteve@aol.com. We'd love to hear from you
and other Fish Talers I worked with

This e-mail is from Joanne (her last name was Kearney when she worked here) and want to share her good news with everyone! She was a waitress at our Westbrook Family Restaurant! Thank you Joanne and Good Luck to Joanne & Ron on the birth of their son, Christopher!
 We received the following e-mail from Tracy Tompkins, who worked and managed at our Madison Drive-In from 1981 till 1993. She married Scott Chidsey (just one of our many Fish Tale Marriages), who also worked at Madison for many years. Scott was a terrific kitchen manager for over 5 years! They both played a very important role in the growth of our Madison Restaurant from a Summer Clam Shack to a Year Round, High Voume Restaurant. They now live in Clinton with their two beautiful children. Thanks for the e-mail Tracy!

September 4, 2000

Hello Fish Tale crew,
It was great to stop in to the restaurant the other day and see so
many familiar faces..(not just of the crew but even familiar faces on
customers!!
I waitressed fulltime 1986--1990 and weekends from 1990-1995....The
people made it such a great place to work...
Ron and I are the proud parents of Christopher, born 3 months ago....He
certainly has changed our lives forever...I am home fulltime with him
and loving it!
Hope everyone is well...Would love to hear what everyone else is up
to...

Joanne


PS you can take the waitress out of the Fish Tale, but you can't take
the Fish Tale out of the waitress...It's amazing how often I see people
in Fish Tale Tshirts and feel proud to have been associated with
FTale. It was hot and was hard work, but I sure made some great
friends there and had a lot of laughs...;) :) :) (EG, Lindy's "
immediate seating in the ballroom/patio" ..... Sue Chabin's
"Gertrude/Beulah"....Santa visiting for lunch....Jeannette....and great
times waitressing w/ Meb!)

February 19, 2001

Hi everyone at Lenny & Joe's Fish Tale!

What a great website!

I started working at the Fish Tale when I was sixteen (the summer of 1981) and continued working summers until the new building opened. Then I became the "Front Manager" in 1990 and worked for Lenny and Joe until 1993. The Fish Tale was a family affair so to speak! My three sisters, my step sister and step brother all worked there. I met my husband while working there (Scott Chidsey who was the kitchen manager for five years) and his sister ( "Wid" - who was my manager back in 1981 when I started - she was tough!) met her husband, Casey and his two brothers worked there or are still working there (Hi Paddy!).

My family and I had dinner there the other night and were discussing whose children, of all the Fish Tale alumni, will be working at the Fish Tale first - we figured Jimmy Schreck or maybe if we bring Melissa's son, Nick, to stay with us for the summers he could be working there in two years! I would love for our children to work there!

I'm an Office Manager for a consulting firm here in Clinton and actually hired a former Fish Talee, Rebecca Magill. Anybody who has worked at the Fish Tale for a good length of time must be a hard worker with good work ethic or else you would not have lasted there - and those qualities are hard to find these days!

I have always said that my favorite employers EVER are Lenny and Joe, and that a lot of who I am today is from working at the Fish Tale for all those years!

Our children, Matt (5) and Ashlyn (3) love the clam strips and I still love the shrimp ( No Joe, I can not eat a double order anymore!)

Thanks Lenny and Joe!

Tracy Chidsey

Our First Alumni Letter Was Sent to Us by Whitney Hopkins (now Whitney Madura), who worked at the Madison Fish Tale Drive-In for 8 years from 1989-2000. She saw our
Web Site from Boston and was kind enough to send along the first contribution to this page! Thanks for continuing to contribute Whitney to The Fish Tale! We all miss you!!
August 8. 2000

Hello Fish Tale Friends,

I was a member of the Fish Tale Team for 8 years. I worked at Fish Tale throughout college to help finance my way through. Following college, a great offer to become Front Counter Manager came my way and I jumped at the opportunity. I worked at this position for a number of years as I came to see employees as family and customers as friends. In this position, I developed valuable skills that assist me everyday in my professional life. I left Fish Tale to move to Boston and continue my education. I am enrolling in an MBA Program at Simmons College this fall where I will apply all the skills and knowledge I acquired at Fish Tale. Fish Tale was a great experience for me and I thank everyone for making it so special.

Whitney Madura