While most people can readily remember faces, it’s the personal details they have trouble recalling. If we meet a person once, we often quickly forget not just their name but also what they told us about their work or background. And three months later we definitely don’t remember their food preferences. But this is not the case with Darla Arnold, a longtime waitress at Garcia’s.
Waiting tables at the popular Mexican restaurant near the mall for the past 32 years, Darla has more than just decades of experience to recommend her. Her friendly personality combined with an incredibly rare ability to remember details makes her a highly requested waitress and an icon in the Idaho Falls community.
There’s actually a word for people who have such an exceptional memory that they can recall personal data and conversations in flawless detail even months later: hyperthymesia. And it’s Darla’s natural superpower.
“I’m not sure how I have such a good memory,” she said. “But if I’ve seen you once and you come back in three months, I’ll remember what you ordered and ask if you want the same thing. I can remember names by seeing them on your credit card when you pay. And if someone calls in I can recognize their voice and remember what food they like.”
If people can be so well remembered that their waitress knows their name, voice, and dinner orders from the past, it makes sense that they gravitate toward Darla. Her regular customers refuse to be seated anywhere other than her tables in the bar area, and they won’t leave until they’ve checked in with her about their lives.
“My regulars come in and ask, ‘Where’s Darla?’ because they want to talk to me. They don’t come here just to eat and be rushed. They want to be able to talk with me about their lives, vacations, and what’s going on in their family. People like to be befriended and they love to be remembered,” she said.
These lunch and dinner conversations add up across the decades until repeat customers become just as close to Darla as her own family. She said, “I really do love working here because of the people I get to meet. I’ve been waiting on some families for years…I’ve known the parents, the kids, and now even the grandkids. I know their names and what they like and don’t like to eat. It makes my heart warm to be connected to families like this.”
Some customers will sit at Darla’s tables every year for their birthday. Others bring in their new girlfriends and later she not only gets to witness their engagements, but has also been asked to help with the proposals on occasion.
Darla said, “One fiancé wanted me to put the engagement ring inside a margarita on the rocks. I was worried she would accidentally swallow it! So I tied the ring to the straw and let it dangle in the drink.”
Because families know Darla so well, they come in to show her their new babies, share updates, and describe fun vacations. Often, they’ll even ask Darla to share the good news for them. “I’ve been able to tell couples that they’re going to be grandparents,” she said. “And I love it when couples bring in their babies to show me because I knew them when they were little kids.”
And while Darla loves to sing a rousing Happy Birthday song with sombreros and tambourines, she can also handle the hard stuff. “I’ve had to break up a few fights and ask a customer to leave on a rare occasion. And yes, I’ve even witnessed medical emergencies and saved people from choking.”
The choking hazard is usually a young child with a tortilla chip, since chips and salsa are served at every table. “I’m up to date on my CPR certifications. And while I know there’s a chance that things could go wrong and I could be sued, I just can’t stand by and not help. I’ve saved a baby and a 12-year-old from choking,” she said.
Mostly though, the meals are relatively routine and people simply appreciate Darla’s personal attention. She said, “One Down syndrome customer named Trevor just loves me—he can’t leave without seeing me and giving me a hug. I have some autistic kids who come in; Tristin thinks I’m his girlfriend. People are drawn to me because they know I genuinely care about them. It’s so fun. It’s kind of an amazing thing to have this community that I’ve built here at the restaurant.”
At Garcia’s, Darla works five nights a week in the bar area and runs all 14 tables. Managers Ken and Carrie Despot know her so well that they’ve let Darla take the reins for her area. Carrie said, “She’s amazing. She’s helped us create a successful business here, that’s for sure.”
Since Darla enjoys being with people and makes great money, she’s loved working at Garcia’s for 32 years and counting. Other wait staff look to her for help with tense situations or advice. One 25-year-old waitress laughed and said, “I’d love to be as skilled as Darla, but she’s been working here longer than I’ve been alive!”
Darla has even made up a few off-the-menu specials that you can order. “I’ve made up a raspberry coconut margarita which a lot of people love. And you can order a Darla Bowl, which is chicken and rice with California veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, squash, and carrots) and our famous Espinaca spinach dip.”
Although she’s such a constant figure at Garcia’s that some people think she lives there, Darla tries to reach out into the community as much as possible. She admires the city’s Wall of Warmth, and owns and manages 24 rental properties in the city. And if she hears that one of her regulars has a tragedy she’ll take them dinner for the night.
From Garcia’s, of course.
“I hate to cook, so Garcia’s is my go-to. Their food is amazing, and I really think it’s the best in town, especially their fajitas. We use all fresh ingredients and everything is made by hand. If I hear that one of my regulars had a death in the family, my boss will let me take them food. I can’t do everything, but I can provide dinner for a night,” she said.
Despite her three decades of waiting tables, Darla has no desire to climb the business ladder. While she does help manage in some aspects, she’d rather wait tables and see her people because it’s so much more personal. In her mid 50s, she’s in great health and has no plans on retiring anytime soon, and when asked about it she can’t imagine being anywhere else.
“I don’t know if I can ever retire because I’d miss it too much. I’m healthy now, but if that ever changed maybe Garcia’s would let me wander around and visit with people.”
Can you imagine it? Elderly and kind Darla, shuffling from table to table and bending down to hear your latest news. But forgetful? Never.