A Winnipeg man said he initially “had no clue” the customer he was serving was John Travolta—a Hollywood icon who is in the city for a movie. Dan Edwards, a server at Tony Roma’s on St. James Street, said at approximately 7 p.m. on July 14, Travolta and his personal assistant entered the restaurant and were seated at a corner booth. “He sat down, and his assistant asked for an Arnold Palmer, the classic drink, and (Travolta) asked for an unsweetened iced tea,” said Edwards. “I said, ‘Come on, you Yank. We’re in Canada, now we don’t serve unsweetened iced tea in Canada.” Though Edwards said he still did not know he was serving Travolta at that point, who had his head shaved, he recognized the customer was from the U.S. by the drink order. “It’s an American thing that’s sort of unseen … but he went on to order a pot of Red Rose tea instead with a glass of ice to pour it on top. So essentially, that’s what unsweetened iced tea is.” Edwards said he had no idea who he was serving for the first 30 minutes, until a co-worker told him, but he never asked Travolta directly. “And I said, ‘Come on man, you got to be kidding me.” Edwards, a self-described “sports guy,” said he is not a movie buff but was familiar with the 1978 movie ‘Grease’ starring Travolta. He later served Travolta medallions and a lobster combo, per his order, along with a brownie with no ice cream and extra whipping cream. Edwards, who was born and raised in Canada, said Travolta asked him if he was from Ukraine, prompting him to ask Travolta where he was from. “And he responded, ‘I’m from Jersey, but I live in Florida now.” Travolta’s assistant said he was also from New Jersey, adding that they were in Winnipeg to make a movie. “That’s when I knew,” said Edwards. Nearly two and a half hours later, Edwards said Travolta left but agreed to take a photo with a chef who was a fan. Edwards said the personal assistant paid the bill in cash—adding a $150 tip and extra cash with a directive to take the chefs out for beers. “I said, ‘Absolutely, I’ll make sure of that. And we did.”
