96-year-old bartender still serving smiles

Reporter: Tiffany Rizzo
Published: Updated:

A 96-year-old woman isn’t letting her age slow her down one bit.

Betty Kai is a bartender and an office manager, but more importantly, she’s just a really cool person. She’s turning 97 in October, but that’s not slowing her down, you can still find her behind the bar.

With all of these activities, you have to wonder if she’s found the Fountain of Youth.

She is an icon on Fort Myers Beach. Everyone knows her and loves her.

“I’ve been bartending since 1962,” Kai said.

But that’s not all Kai does.

“Hostess at night, bartender in the day. [I] work at the Bel Air Beach Club a couple of days a week, and [I am an] office manager. I’ve married probably close to 300 400 people in 35 years,” Kai said.

But Kai doesn’t just work hard.

“She goes out more than we all go out,” said Tina Tomasino, owner of the Hurricane Tinas Dive Bar.

We asked Kai why she’s still working.

“Can’t just sit around on your butt,” she replied.

Keeping busy is what Kai said is her secret to life.

“She loves it. She wants to. I think that if she stopped, that’s when she would probably feel her age, so because that’s pretty old to be bartending and doing everything. She’s still pretty good. She remembers more people’s names than we all do,” Tomasino said.

Betty has quite the personality. If you want to see Betty in action, she works at Hurricane Tinas on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday starting at 9 a.m.

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