As sung in the hit 80s TV show Cheers’ theme song about a Boston-based bar, “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.” For Gainesville, that place has been Mac’s Drive-Thru over the last 37 years with Sighle Williams behind the counter. 

Famous for knowing not just customers’ names but also their sandwich orders, Williams said maintaining genuine connections is a natural part of her job. 

“It just comes, it just comes. I can’t explain it,” she said. “I love everybody, don’t get me wrong. But it’s just something about dealing with the customers.” 

On Friday, Oct. 11, Williams will work her last day before retiring as the longest-remaining Mac’s employee. Her dedication to prioritizing personal connection over speed in a fast-paced world is something Mac’s owner Ron DeFilippo said his restaurant aims to embody and bring the community together to celebrate on her last day. 

“This celebration isn’t just about Sighle’s retirement; it’s about honoring the power of human touch in business…our greatest asset has always been, and will always be, our people,” DeFilippo said in a press release. 

Last month, DeFilippo surprised Williams by announcing that all revenue made between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on her last day would be given to her as a reward for her hard work and to allow the community a chance to thank and wish her farewell. 

Filmmakers Lauren DeFilippo and Sam Soko will also follow Williams’ last day for a documentary being produced by the award-winning Insignia Films group. 

“Her dedication over 37 years shows that when you value your employees, they in turn create immeasurable value for your customers and community,” DeFilippo said. “We want her last day behind the window to be as memorable as she’s made every customer feel.” 

Williams remembers “just [falling] right into” food service after enjoying a culinary class she took during her junior and senior years at Eastside High School. The students learned how to take orders, set tables and cook lunches for staff and school board members.  

After working for a few years at Church’s Chicken following graduation, Williams found the job at Mac’s through the unemployment job board. She started part-time from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in July 1987, not long after Glen McMillan opened the drive-thru that year.  

She learned prep work and “how Mr. Mac wanted things done,” before the position became full-time in September doing “everything.” 

“It was the pleasure of just doing my job,” Williams said of favorite moments from her career. “All the customers whose orders I took that said I made their day was a good feeling of knowing that one person may make a difference.” 

While the customers and enjoying the work itself kept Williams playing the long game at Mac’s, simply just needing to pay the bills also produced a practical motivation for persevering through the decades of her career.  

After her parents died two days apart from each other in 1998, Williams stepped up to take custody of two of her nieces who had been in their care. Five years later, she also took in her three great-nieces.  

Most of Williams’ Mac’s paychecks went towards raising them in the same house near Eastside High School she grew up in with her parents, where she still lives today. 

“They motivated me that the bills got paid,” she said. “You gotta get to work.” 

Even though sustaining her love for serving customers and her family, while trying to stay in shape and hold good posture has helped Williams through 44 years of standing on her feet in food service, she said now is the time to retire. 

After celebrating her 62^nd birthday on Thursday and before taking a coast-to-coast train ride to kick off retirement, Williams said she is looking forward to working at Mac’s on Friday doing what she normally does surrounded by friends, family and the community.  

Former Mac’s employee and owner Jon McMillan, who also retired after 37 years at the drive-thru in June, will return to the grill to work alongside Williams one last time. 

“This was like a home away from home. I will mainly miss the customers. I appreciate them very much, and the McMillan’s for giving me an opportunity to work for them, as well as Mr. Ron,” Williams said. “Just doing my job well, just trying to make sure I got your order right and stuff; it paid off.”