Happy Tummies & Love!

IF THAT’S

Liz has been a long-time member of PAC and knew our culture and community would be perfect for expanding her Diner. The time came in February 2023 to put the “Y’at in the PAC!” With many of Liz’s customers in PAC already, she knew she could bring a healthy and diverse menu with many more options available to members. Just like when she opened her Diner in 2009, she plans to let the menu evolve, paying attention to members’ wants and needs as much as possible. While the kiosk limits dishes due to the size of the kitchen, she plans to utilize every inch of space to its max to fill the Café’s needs. “I keep my ear to the ground and welcome input. If I can do it and it makes sense, I do it.” to everyone. She perfectly complements what we always say at PAC: “ We are so much more than a gym; we are a FAMILY.”

This summer Liz and her family (staff) have HUGE things planned for the PAC Café, such as opening the Cabana and offering poolside service!

“YES, INDEED! WE WILL HAVE OUR HOMEMADE DAIQUIRIS, BLOODY MARYS, SLUSHIES, AND ICE CREAM BARS FOR THE KIDS, PLUS, PLUS!” YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS OUT!

Here’s Liz’s story:

Customer service with love, gratitude, and thankfulness is essential to her success. Liz walks around the café, talking ‘Y’at’

A self-proclaimed Y’at, born in New Orleans, LA, and a Mount Carmel High School graduate, Munson has lived in Mandeville for the past three decades.

Munson was introduced to the food service industry via Foxy Balls Snowball Stand in

West End and transformed her skills into retail sales/sales management roles for many years. Her passion evolved back to restaurants when she relocated to the Northshore in the early 90s, where she’d serve and manage customers.

Within the teal and pink walls of the Diner, servers are decked out in psychedelic chic tie-dyed t-shirts, smile, and chat with customers as they deliver platters of savory scramblers, “Bennies,” Belgian waffles, eggs Sardou, Berry Crazy French toast, and a long list of delightfully creative twists on standard breakfast fare. “I can’t take one thing off the menu,” Munson said. “I’ve tried, and my customers won’t have it.”

In 2019 (right before Covid), Liz’s life came to a standstill when a fire erupted in her restaurant. She thought this might be the end. Everything she had worked so hard for was up in flames. Liz did not know then, but the fire would connect her to people and the community more than her wildest dreams. From the fire, she met someone who has become integral to her success since then, Shoe Shoemake; now, her Operational Manager was one of the first to come to her side after the incident. Shoe, at the time, was a contractor and said that when he reached out to subcontractors to help rebuild the Diner, he didn’t have a single person not interested. They had all been to Liz’s before and knew the importance of getting her Diner back up and running. After the restaurant was rebuilt, Liz didn’t give Shoe any option. He was hers from then on out. Liz said Shoe and his wife Tori (FOH Operations Manager) leadership are why she can sleep at night, plus the coup d’état culinary skills of Chef Christopher Souto’s execution of Liz’s savory recipes. The Diner’s latest accolade featured Liz’s creation as the top Louisiana Diner in the state of Louisiana in Southern Living’s magazineMarch 2023. For a Southern girl, that was “A dream come true!”

(Sources: Nola.com, Liz Munson, and WWL.com)