Addie Van Zutphen was voted Best Restaurant Server in Kansas City. Here’s why:

Addie Van Zutphen // Courtesy of Ragazza

There are people who end up in hospitality, and then there are people who are born for it. 

Addie Van Zutphen, a server at Ragazza just two nights a week, has made such an impression on diners in those two shifts that she was voted Best Server in the 2026 Best of Kansas City reader’s poll. 

We sat down with Van Zutphen and learned about her mindset and unique area of expertise, as well as her deep roots in the restaurant world. 

The Pitch: Tell us about yourself.

Addie Van Zutphen: I’m Addie. I have worked at Ragazza for five years.

I have a degree in social work and a degree in gerontology from Kansas State University, and I now work full time for the Center on Aging at K-State as a program coordinator, where I focus on nursing home quality improvement. My very first restaurant job was in a nursing home in Manhattan, Kansas. It was the best. 

At Ragazza, I started as an expo, then from there, I did a little bit of everything, and now I get to serve two days a week. 

I’m from Kansas City, and I think I’m the perfect blend of my parents, because my mom is very much in the helping profession, and my dad is in hospitality—he works at Minsky’s Pizza as a food broker. So, for take-your-daughter-to-work-day and stuff, I got to go to restaurants!

Do you feel like your expertise with older populations has influenced how you work as a server? 

Yes, definitely. Our owner has been so nice and intentional with being, like, ‘you have created these regulars that feel so welcome here that are old people.’ It’s cool to blend the two areas of my work. 

We have this one regular, Janine. She comes in literally every day. We know exactly how she likes everything. I even did a presentation once at a person-centered care conference on how to enhance the dining process for residents and nursing homes, because it’s such a quality measure. If you have great food service and food presentation, and if you know people’s preferences, it makes a big difference. I asked Janine if I could use her as an example, and so she was in my presentation last year at a conference. 

Congratulations on being voted best server. Were you surprised? How did you find out? 

I walked into work on a Sunday for an evening shift, and my manager came up to me, and she was like, “I’m so excited. I’m so happy for you. I’m so proud of you.” And I was like, “Why?” That’s when she told me that I was a finalist for Best Server. 

I was, first, shocked, second, almost embarrassed, because I’m like, ‘Ah, don’t… Not me. It’s someone else.’ But ultimately, I’m very honored. I love what I do. I love that I get to be a server for Ragazza. 

Courtesy of Addie Van Zutphen

What is the most rewarding part of your job at Ragazza? 

That’s a two-part answer for me, because getting to work with our team and the people at Ragazza—the back of house, the managers, the front of house staff—every single person is wonderful, and so it’s so cool to get to do that. 

But additionally, and something that I really treasure is our regulars. People who really call Ragazza their home away from home. It’s such an honor to be a part of that. 

Do you have any standout stories of regulars?

Well, I’ve met the best friends of my life at Ragazza. Their names are Debbie and Nancy, and they’re just the two most wonderful women that I’ve ever met, and I would not have them if I didn’t have Ragazza. So we have a lot of funny stories. Recently, we just celebrated Nancy’s 80th birthday at Ragazza, and it was so cool, and our baker made her this perfect cake.

What’s the most challenging aspect of your job? 

I think it’s hard some days to leave “it” at the door and go serve a table, and, it’s hard when other people don’t do that. 

It’s also a misunderstood industry if you’ve never been in it.

It’s an undervalued service that everybody loves. Everyone loves going to a restaurant… So why not treat the people taking care of you like they’re people? Respect? And you don’t know what else they do. My least favorite thing, ever, that happens is when people say, “Now, what’s your real job?”

What else can we do to be better customers or diners? 

Don’t just walk in and seat yourself. Yesterday there was a group of 10 people that walked in, sat down at our biggest table, and we were just like, really? And then they just kept adding people. 

What’s something that you do differently that may have contributed to earning this recognition? 

I do a couple things. Well, I’m also just weird. 

So one, I am just a little quirky. 

I greet 98% of my tables with the same greeting, which is, “Hi, my name’s Addie. I get to take care of you today.” Because I do get to—it’s the best part of my day. I just want everybody to feel like, yeah, I get to do this. So that’s a mindset for me. 

And then, I think the restaurant industry, or the dining experience, is a case study for the human experience in general. So, just remembering that people want to be remembered, people want you to be curious about them, and, I think that’s how I get the most enjoyment out of it; I just really care about people.

Courtesy of Addie Van Zutphen

Have things been different this summer related to the FIFA World Cup? 

Not that I noticed. We have these great restaurant jerseys now, though!

How do you unwind after a shift?

Well, I should say that I meditate and I do yoga and journal, but really, I have a Hamm’s and a shot of Contratto Fernet. 

At the restaurant bar? Or at home, out? 

Sometimes at the restaurant. Or sometimes you can catch us at The Peanut or Harry’s Bar and Tables. We love each other so much at work, and not like even in a weird way, but we enjoy working together, so we just kind of hang out, do our sidework, and decompress together. 

If you could fix one thing in the overall restaurant industry with a snap, what would it be?

If I could wave a magic wand, I would change the way that people perceive it. I would improve the way that it’s perceived in general, to where the people who are accepting a service or benefiting from it could look at our work as an actual profession. 

It’s hard because Ragazza offers us so much, but I think industry-wide, I would fix benefits, time off, addressing the burnout—there’s serious burnout in our industry that I don’t think people acknowledge enough. I think that’s a symptom of the societal problem. It goes back to like, what’s her real job? This is my real job. A real job. I’m literally working. I’m serving you. 

But again, this is hard because I am looking at this from a perspective of working at what I truly believe is the greatest restaurant that anyone could work at. Our owner, Laura Norris, has created this culture of community and acceptance, and Ragazza is such a landing spot for people. Like, I could cry about it. People want to go there to celebrate their highs, but also, when they’re down, they know that they’ll find people they want to be around. Ragazza is, I would say, a standard of how a restaurant should function and value their team members—all of the team members. 

What is your favorite thing to order right now at Ragazza? 

Okay, I’m gonna course it: 

First, I’m starting with a Hamm’s and Fernet. Then I’m going to get burrata, and probably the arancini at the same time. Because hopefully I’m not there by myself. And then my obsession right now is the rigatoni with red sauce (spicy), and I add the grilled vegetable appetizer to it. It’s so good. 

Finished with the best dessert of all time, boudino: a thick chocolate pudding with flaky sea salt on top. 

Courtesy of Addie Van Zutphen

Describe your perfect day of eating and drinking around KC.

I think I’d start here (Le Champion). This is a great spot. Nice people. 

Well, first, I’d sleep in, then I’m coming here to grab a coffee. And then I’m calling my friend Sarah, and we’re going to The Peanut on Main, because daytime Peanut is just somehow the best, and we’re gonna sit there for too long. I’d have a grilled cheese with cheese fries. 

Then we’ll probably go have a nice drink at Bacaro Primo. It’s a fun place to hang. 

See, I like The Wise Guy a lot in a weird way. But that’s probably a happy hour—just have a drink or two, and then we would go to Rudy’s Tenampa Taqueria for dinner, because it’s our very favorite. I like supporting them. Danielle at Rudy’s is the best bartender in the world. 

I want to shout out Enzo, because it is the best patio. And I really like Brown and Loe sometimes for like a quick app. I don’t know if they have them anymore, but the jalapeño pepper arancini are insane. 

Last but not least, Harry’s Bar and Tables for a nightcap.

That’s the best part about Kansas City, like, I really do feel like we have the best small businesses and restaurants. And I think people are surprised by it.

Do you see yourself serving in some capacity for the foreseeable future?

Yes. Absolutely. When I took the full-time job with K State, I had to cut one shift. But I never want to give it up. I don’t care how tired I am. It’s so worth it. There are times I had to learn boundaries and to take care of myself. That’s the hardest thing. It’s much easier to cheer on someone else for taking care of themselves.

That’s so true. What are some things that you do to address or prevent burnout? 

Well, burnout is very real in my day job as well, so it’s an interesting perspective because Ragazza is my reprieve from the burnout that I experienced there. 

But I would also say I have the best dog in the world. I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned her. So walking her, spending time with her is definitely a highlight. But prioritizing spending time with people that fill my cup, crying when I need to. Also, just being open about it.

There were times I would just tell my manager: I’m dying. I can’t do it. And I think that is another reason why Ragazza is so great, because that’s very much recognized as a valid experience, especially in our industry.