The Passing of a Midtown Legend: Remembering Beloved Mary Mac's Employee Flo Patrick

The venerable Atlanta institution on Ponce, Mary Mac’s has announced the death of one of their beloved employees, Flo Patrick.

Credit: Mary Mac's

Reaction from long time Mary Mac's customers has been massive on social media. 

* What a joy to have known her.  My condolences to her family. 

* My deepest condolences to the family of this great woman

* I’m so sorry to hear this. She waited on us so often.

* I will miss this woman at Mary Mac's Tea Room.

The restaurant’s announcement of their beloved employee's passing illustrates her importance to the daily operation. 

“For 39 years, Ms. Flo was more than a server at Mary Mac’s. She was family. She welcomed generations of guests, remembered their names and favorite dishes, and built relationships that extended far beyond our dining room.”

Credit: Mary Mac's

Flo Patrick was 88 years old when she passed away this week. According to a feature story in a “Patch” newsletter 15 years ago, she had been waiting tables at Mary Mac’s since her mother, who also served at the restaurant for 15 years, got her a job there in 1973.

Ms. Patrick had been at the restaurant longer than any other employee.

"I've waited on people and I've waited on their children, and their children," said Ms. Patrick, "Been invited to their weddings."

Credit: Mary Mac's

"One time, a guy came in with a stack of Elvis Presley photos and spread them out all over his table. Then, he stood up and dropped his pants."

Patrick whispered, "butt naked, some elderly ladies at a nearby table looked over," she said, and started screaming.

Oh no! Not on Ponce! 

Mary Mac’s has had several different lives in Atlanta, most notably run by the irreplaceable Margaret Lupo. The story is familiar, and the stuff of Atlanta legend. Ms. Lupo went to work for Mary Mackenzie who started Mary Mac’s in the late 1950’s. A few weeks after beginning, Mary announced she was getting married and moving to Florida.

“Do you want to buy the place Margaret? 

Ms. Lupo ran the celebrated restaurant between 1962-1994 with a firm hand. 

She was responsible for preserving the recipes and expanding the dining room. It was her domain and always a great pleasure to chat with her.

Credit: Mary Mac's

To understand Margaret Lupo’s Mary Mac’s was to enter the dining room at lunch. There weren’t a lot of Midtown dining options all the way in to the mid 1980's. 

Lunch was a big cultural happening.

In 1985, I walked in with a television photographer to eat lunch and the place was loaded with familiar Coca Cola executives, lawmakers, attorneys, and an older guy screaming my name across the dining room.

“Jeff Hullinger come sit with me, get over here. Let’s talk Braves, I have some questions for you,” shouted the 75th Governor of the State of Georgia, Lester Maddox.

“I will be right over governor, let me order,” was my response.

Flo Patrick would have been inside working the dining room that day just as she was most days of the era. 

Mary Mac’s has found a new owner and a new life these days. But like all great institutions, it’s difficult not to think of its storied past led by employees like the now late Flo Patrick. 

The restaurant posted this statement: “Ms. Flo once said, ‘It’s how you treat people. It’s how you treat people.’” Those words and the legacy she leave behind will always have a special place in our hearts. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends and everyone who lives she touched.

Credit: Mary Mac's