Fast-food, Fast friends: Beloved McDonalds hostess has developed a loyal following with her winning smile and positive attitude

McDonalds hostess Debbie Thompson is so beloved that when one regular customer saw her being interviewed and photographed, she rushed over saying, "You're not retiring, are you?"

Downtown Mobile workers, it seems, need their Miss Debbie fix, as badly as they need their morning coffee.

Theories vary on how she became one of the better-known, and certainly friendliest, fixtures at the 658 Government St. restaurant. But everyone seems to agree that a lot of the charm is seeing a smiling, friendly face in the fast-food environment, where civility is often sacrificed to efficiency.

Among her biggest fans: Mobile City Council President Reggie Copeland.

"She's a sweetheart," he said last week. "What's so nice is that whenever I go in there, even in a crowded line, she'll say, 'Hey Mr. Copeland, great to see you!' She's an incredible ambassador for that company." Less well known but equally passionate about Miss Debbie is longshoreman Ernest Smith, 53, who comes in several times a week when he can.

He first encountered her when his life was "dismal," he said, and he was trying to find himself. That was 15 years ago.

"One day I came in and her greeting just caught me off guard — such a friendly smile — and I started coming in more and more. She inspires me, starts my day off right. You don't see that too much anymore," Smith said.

Debbie Thompson, 60, has worked 36 years at the store. Her shift is from 5:25 a.m. until 2 p.m. She is married to Mike Thompson, the aircraft manager at USS Alabama Battleship Park, and they live in southwest Mobile. She belongs to Riverside Baptist Church but said she doesn't attend as often as she would like.

A fact you might not guess: She loves to ride her sister's Jet Ski on Lake Martin....