Peggy Sue’s Last Call at the Doucet After 21 Years
Peggy “Sue” Duncan
If you knew Peggy Sue, then you'd know why the Doucet is blue. The popular bartender is hanging up her apron after 21 years to travel more and spend time with her granddaughter.
Her friends and co-workers at the Doucet Saloon on Rutledge Road are holding a send-off party this Saturday, October 21 starting at 4 p.m.
While the regulars know her as Peggy Sue, her real name is Peggy Duncan. She got the nickname from comedian and DJ Bob-O Phillips one night after he made a wisecrack about the movie "Peggy Sue Got Married, and the moniker stuck.
Owner Perry Doucet hired her in the late 90s and she worked at the Saloon for about two years before moving to Texas. In 2001, she packed up and moved back to the Bay Area where she found a place a few blocks away on San Miguel. Duncan says it was a good thing because she could pick up shifts at any time or walk over if another bartender called in sick.
"On my first day, the Doucet had an old-fashioned wooden cash register," Duncan told the Forum. "I was coming out of the office with my drawer, and it was heavy. And the floor was wet, and I tripped and fell and broke my finger. And I worked that night with a broken finger. And that set the tone. Perry said I was a good sport."
Along the way, Duncan moved to Manteca, which made it harder for her to commute to the Saloon. She says it's the support of her regulars and friends that have created a "Cheers!"-like atmosphere at the Doucet Saloon.
"The Doucett is very much a community, very much a family, and very loyal," Duncan says. "Our regulars span generations. I have a regular customer now who is the son of a fellow bartender. I was the one who gave him his first drink when he turned 21."
So, what is the secret to being a great bartender? Duncan says it comes down to two things: Listening and remembering.
"I think it's someone who can listen to their customers and retain that information so that the next time they come in, you know how they like their drinks," Duncan said. "It doesn't matter if you know how to make all the drinks, customers remember the personalization they receive. If you remember their drink, the way they like it, they appreciate it."
The Doucet itself is among the more popular watering holes in Castro Valley. The bar draws a gamut of football fans and boasts a great billiards table, shuffleboard, foosball, and darts... but does not host karaoke.
"It's not that type of bar," Duncan said, adding that while the Doucet is a traditional neighborhood establishment, they have on occasion taken the modern "mixologist" route with fancy glitters, infused simple syrups, and complex garnishes.
Duncan's signature drink is called "The Boner," which is a concoction of peach-flavored vodka, lemonade, and sweet tea. She used to refer to it as a "Drunken Arnold Palmer," because of the lemonade and tea combination until one of her regulars renamed it. The cocktail became an instant hit.
"Once I put one of those drinks on the bar, you get a lot of people asking for them. So, I make up a whole batch knowing that I'll be serving more than one," Duncan said.
The Saloon was also a mandatory stopping point during the heyday of the Castro Valley Pub Crawl. The annual event held the Wednesday before Thanksgiving invited adults to make their way along the Boulevard and support numerous bars.
"Peggy Sue" Duncan's last day at the Doucet Saloon is October 21. She'll be behind the bar between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.