Charle Bateman hits 50 years at Pat O'Brien's

What he's saying: "It's just another day at work," Bateman says. "I had no intention of staying for any length of time when I first went to work there. … And they encouraged me to stay, which was probably one of the best decisions of my life."

Catch up quick: Bateman first got to Pat O's as a bartender, working seasonally between semesters at Southeastern Louisiana University.

• When he graduated, he hoped his psychology and criminal justice degree would get him a job with the FBI.
• Instead, Pat O's owners George Oechsner Jr. and George “Sonny” Oechsner III thought he had leadership potential and convinced him in 1976 to stay on at the bar full time.

Zoom in: By 1985, he'd risen through the ranks to vice president of operations.

• In all those years, he's experienced how hospitality jobs in New Orleans can be more than gigs; they can be careers.
• He's also had a front-row seat to the French Quarter characters who make the neighborhood a unique place to clock in every day.
• "When I first started working here, the drinking age was 18 and the crowds were huge," he says. "I remember the first Friday night … it was nonstop busy selling hurricanes like there was no tomorrow."

Celebrities have passed through the doors at Pat O's so often, Bateman says, he's long since lost track of everyone — but a few stand out.

• Rodney Dangerfield, for one. He'd come inside, signing autographs as he passed through the piano bar and hole up at a table for the night. "He was a hoot," Bateman recalls.
• Former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton also became a close-enough friend, Bateman says, that he knew of Bateman's love for country star Kenny Chesney.

"One Christmas, [Payton] calls me and says, 'I got a present for you,'" Bateman says.

• In walked Payton with Chesney.
• "We sat on the patio and just chatted all night long," Bateman says.

What's next: Bateman has no immediate plans for retirement, but Pat O's is throwing him a party to celebrate his milestone nonetheless.

• Swing by to toast Bateman on Saturday between 4pm and 8pm.