AS the face of Bettys tearooms in York, Alan Stockdale's job was to "meet and greet" visitors.

Now the former maitre d' is putting away the menus for the last time as he retires from his position at the celebrated cafe on St Helen's Square, having dealt with close to eight million diners in a 43-year career.

Alan, 68, joined the company in 1972 as a chef, moving to front of house a decade later.

He said: "All the time I have been here, it's been like an ever-changing family - not just with the people who work here, but the people who visit as well."

Over the four decades, Alan has served some famous faces, including the late Richard Attenborough and Hollywood actor Russell Crowe. He was once interviewed by Rory Bremner for a TV series.

But the memory of one early-morning guest remains the most colourful. "It was about 7am and I was cleaning the tea pots on display," he begins. "It was warm, so we had the door open, and a peacock from Museum Gardens wandered in. I had to corner it and pick it up, put it under my arm and throw it out."

Alan recalls working in Bettys kitchens during the power strikes of the 1970s. "There would no air conditioning, and we had to cook on gas stoves and by candlelight. It was a challenge."

Alan, who lives in York, met his wife Wendy when she worked as a waitress in Bettys. They have one daughter, Sarah.

As a young chef he worked split shifts and, as a keen archaeologist, volunteered on digs at the Minster and Coppergate when off duty.

Alan has witnessed many changes to Bettys over the year - when he started, it used to have a bar on the ground floor and a self-service restaurant upstairs in the Belmont Room.

Another big difference was parking. "I used to park on Bootham and after 5pm could park right outside Bettys".

Changed days indeed.