Top of the Morning, May 17, 2024
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Bellying up with ...
On Fridays, we'll spotlight the men and women serving up cold ones and conversation in our neck of the woods. Let us know about your favorite bartender by emailing .
After three years at Route 45 Wayside in Pesotum, Erin Hosch jokes that she doesn't know how she stays employed.
"Because I'm not that good at it," she said. "I just like to try to make people laugh. It's fun."
That's also why her favorite drink to "make" is an open beer, but Hosch must be doing something right, because she loves her job.
"The people are wonderful," Hosch said. "It truly feels like family. The regulars feel like family and the other bartenders feel like family."
This is her first bartending job, which she picked up after moving home from Chicago during the pandemic.
Another bartender talked her into working there, and Hosch has enjoyed it so much she kept the position on a part-time basis even after returning to work in hotel sales in Chicago.
"I work pretty much seven days a week," Hosch said. "If I'm not in Chicago, I'm either hanging out with my dog or my friends or you can find me at the bar."
Hosch said she misses living in the big city, but with family and friends down in the Champaign area, this is "the best of both worlds" despite all of the driving.
Route 45 Wayside is a classic hometown bar with lots of regulars, but Hosch said there's always room for new faces to drink or play volleyball and bags.
Her favorite memories come from Sundays in the summer, when the bar hosts bands from 1 to 4 p.m. as long as the weather's nice.
"Seeing people come back out after the wintertime and be able to sit outside, the sun is shining, bands are playing, the drinks are flowing — I get excited every April," Hosch said.
