Erin Leavy serves drinks at Johnny's Tavern, 401 N. Second St. She says her relationship with the tavern's regulars have kept her in Lawrence.

Community and friendship are not listed on the lunch menu at Johnny’s Tavern, but Erin Leavy says that is what keeps her there.

Johnny’s Tavern, 401 N. Second St., serves up drinks and the popular Johnny Wilson burger. Leavy began working at Johnny’s as a bartender and server in 2005 while completing her English degree at Kansas University.

“I have lingered here because of the community I have found,” Leavy says, “from the regulars I see for Tuesday’s taco specials to the Lawrence Luncheon Optimists on Thursdays. The best part of my day is interacting with the regular customers and co-workers I have come to know.”

Leavy begins her shift at 9 a.m. by setting up the bar and waiting on customers who head to Johnny’s after coming off their midnight work shifts. The lunch crowd starts arriving around 11:15 a.m. By noon, Leavy and the entire Johnny’s staff are in full swing, serving a bar and back room full of customers with drinks, burgers and pizzas.

As Leavy scoops ice and pours drinks in one swift motion, she also scans the room for needy customers and takes queries from co-workers. She darts from the bar to the back room and returns in a matter of seconds.

“My feet are not bad with tennis shoes,” Leavy says. “If I get tired, it’s because of the energy I put into giving good service to my customers.”