TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

It was while attempting to mix a strawberry daiquiri as a trainee at RJ's Bar & Grill that Leigh Ann Lucci got the first hint this place was more than just a Rosedale gathering spot.

"I poured in the daiquiri mix and ice but forgot the alcohol," Lucci remembered of that day two and a half years ago. "And I was pouring it out and it stuck because the alcohol breaks up the ice. All the customers are laughing at me, saying 'You forgot the alcohol.'"

Most barstool warmers take their booze pretty seriously, but at a place where everybody knows your name, it's camaraderie and conviviality -- not Coors and Captain Morgan -- that bring in the crowds.

"We've got Big Ken, we've got Steve, we've got Peter," said Lucci, 24. "It's funny that our regulars who don't know each other, they become friends too. It's not just us saying, 'Hi,' it's like everyone turning around and saying, 'Hey.'

"It really is like 'Cheers.'"

And if RJ's approximates the vibe of the fictional Boston bar, it's because of servers like Lucci and happy customers like Jim Luff, who nominated her as the best server in Bakersfield.

"She has a charming personality that lights up when describing something as simple as a grilled cheese sandwich, using such words as 'amazing' and 'awesome.'"

Lucci appreciates Luff's praise, in large part because her personality hasn't always been so bubbly.

"I actually think RJ's has helped me a lot with talking. I was very shy, more of a listener, but you learn to talk there and learn people's names. Now, I'm a chatter box. I probably talk more than my clients."

Being the life of the party isn't a bad way for a college student to make a buck. On a good week, Lucci takes home $500 in tips, money that goes toward her education. The Liberty High grad is studying psychology at Cal State Bakersfield, though her dream is to be a radiology assistant. She plans to attend BC's radiology program in the summer after being on the wait list for years.

"I love school, so I didn't want to stop just because I couldn't get in the program right away. I figured having my bachelor's behind me, even though I'm going backwards, it would benefit me in the end."

And in the meantime Lucci's working at a place she can't seem to get enough of. Literally. In a show of devotion that would make most working stiffs cringe, she hangs out at her place of employment -- on her days off.

"I'm definitely not a drinker. I like having a red beer, which is Coors Light and Bloody Mary mix. That's my thing. I come in a lot at nighttime to have beers with friends. It's pretty popular in Rosedale."

Though the party is humming well into the evening, Lucci said owners Russell Carter and Jason Cox have really tried to make the restaurant a family destination as well. That means the rowdy evenings when customers would buy bartender Lucci a shot of Jager to get her going are long gone.

Family restaurant or not, Lucci said most of the customers tend to be men, and it's easy to understand why: All the servers are perky young women who wear T-shirts and jeans (football jerseys on Sunday). The atmosphere definitely is looser than what Lucci was used to at Macaroni Grill, her first job.

"(The owners) have never come out and said, 'Cute girls only,' but when I thought of going from Macaroni Grill to RJ's, where all girls work, I was kind of like, uh, I didn't want it to be like Hooters. But it's a family atmosphere and I've never felt threatened. The kind of compliments I get are from men who say, 'In 20 years I'm going to marry you, though I'll be 70.'

"Everyone is very protective."

Though she prefers tending bar ("3 o'clock hits and my regulars are there in my corner talking to me"), Lucci said waiting tables allows her the fun of interacting with children and recommending her favorites.

"I always tell people to get the chile verde nachos or the blackened chicken tortellini.

"I worked at Macaroni Grill. I've been around a lot pasta, and this is the best."

But Lucci noted the cooks and servers are willing to work with customer cravings, no matter how unorthodox.

"There's this guy who comes in, and he's so funny. He wants a tall British beer glass, a 22-ounce beer glass, frozen and he wants it filled up with milk. And you'll give it to him, turn your back, and it's gone. I think it helps him with eating his chicken wings."

Though she aims to please, Lucci said some customers just won't be coaxed to join the party.

"One guy comes in and he's always grumpy, but I know he likes the food because he comes in all the time. He'll never give you a straight compliment. On his good day, he'll never be nice to you, but he won't be mean."

Encounters like that serve to make Lucci a model customer when she's out. A favorite spot is the Mauricio's in Rosedale, where she gives the patio crew high marks for remembering her drink.

"You appreciate that, being a server yourself."