photograph by michael donahue
Rendezvous owners Katherine Vergos Riederer, John Vergos, and Anna Vergos Blair.
I’ve spent more hours than I would care to count at a table at the Rendezvous — or at the bar. There’s an old-school, easy sophistication about the place, which is still in the family of Charlie Vergos, whose name remains on the sign. Now, it’s owned by John Vergos, his sister, Tina Jennings, and family members of their late brother, Nick Vergos.
Diners enter through an alley off Union, across from The Peabody. To find the dining room, descend the stairs from the street level and travel a few steps back in time. The walls are almost entirely covered with photos, posters, banners, ads, and a hodgepodge of memorabilia. Think New York’s Sardi’s restaurant with all the framed celebrity caricatures. Same vibe, but in subterranean Memphis.
Framed copies of a story I wrote long ago, about long-time Rendezvous servers, hang on two walls at the Rendezvous. My editor, the late Angus McEachran, gave me that assignment when I was at The Commercial Appeal. Later, he walked into the newsroom to tell me I did a great job after the story appeared on the cover of the Sunday features section. That was a big deal (and a rare occurrence) when he did that.
“I love being here. I saw a need — and I think Dad and Nick and Tina also saw the need — for someone from the next generation to really understand the business.” — Anna Vergos Blair
Legendary servers over the years include the great Jack Dyson. When I showed up, he always called out, “Red BANKS!,” which is where I live. The also-great Albert “Red” Hurt sang out, “Do-na-HUE!” whenever he saw me.
Always the best place to socialize, I remember double-dating at the Rendezvous in the 1970s. I was with a woman I’d never been out with. We all laughed and ate. Later that week, I called to ask her out again for the next weekend. She said, “I thought I made it perfectly clear last time I saw you that I never want to go out with you again.” I was stunned. But it wasn’t the restaurant’s fault.
photograph courtesy Michael donahue
Nick Vergos, Michael Donahue, and restaurant founder Charles Vergos at an early “Rendezvous at the Zoo.”
The place attracted its share of celebrities. In 1988, John Kennedy Jr. attended Paul Tudor Jones’ wedding at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Memphis. The night before, I was assigned to wait at The Peabody until he checked in. After he arrived, Rebecca Dinstuhl and I followed Kennedy and his party to the Rendezvous. John Vergos seated us at a table next to his. We didn’t bother him, but at one point his server, the legendary Percy Norris, told Kennedy I was paying for his dinner. Norris was kidding, but I would have gladly paid for the meal of JFK Jr.
I always ordered the barbecued pork loin, because it wasn’t as messy to eat as ribs when you’re out with somebody you want to impress (but who never wants to see you again). Now I order just about everything, though they no longer offer the pork loin.
photograph by anna vergos blair
The author enjoys a small snack.
Outside of the women who seat customers, people don’t see many women working at the Rendezvous. But, actually, several women hold key roles there now.
“A lot of the men around here have these bigger-than-life personalities,” says Anna Vergos Blair, daughter of John Vergos. The servers, whom everybody knows by name, are “the personalities of this place.”
But, she says, “It’s always been women who worked really hard pushing this restaurant forward and doing different kinds of behind-the-scenes aspects of the business.”
She mentions Cheron Allbright, who has booked “every big catering event for over 20 years.” Kelly Rhea is responsible for “making sure all our sauces and seasoning get where they’re supposed to be. She helps in the shipping side of the business.” Another key person is Emily Garrison, who takes care of accounts payable and scheduling.
And Blair’s sister, Katherine Vergos Riederer, is involved with marketing, merchandising, and their digital business. She also helped their grandmother, Tsia Vergos, and Jennings create the Greek salad and add it to the menu.
As for herself, Blair says, “I help handle any business decisions, any accounting, marketing, legal, insurance.”
Blair began working at the restaurant when she was 14. She worked in shipping, bartended, and “did any job I could.”
She then worked as a publicist for congressman Harold Ford Jr. After graduating from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, she worked at the Burch, Porter & Johnson law firm for a few years before returning to the Rendezvous in 2015.
“I love being here,” she says. “I saw a need — and I think Dad and Nick and Tina also saw the need — for someone from the next generation to really understand the business.”
Blair was instrumental in getting the alley cleaned up and murals painted for the restaurant’s outdoor eating area. She was also responsible for adding vegetarian options to the menu, like the meatless red beans and rice.
A classic? No doubt. But midway through its eighth decade, the Rendezvous isn’t resting on its laurels. Or its charcoal briquettes.
The Rendezvous is located at 22 S. Second.
