In 1990, when Steve McDonald and Joanne Khan ran away from home and ended up in the area with no money or transportation, Steve got them jobs as kitchen staff at the Ullswater at £1.90 an hour - which was promptly knocked down to £1.50 an hour by the manager when he discovered that Steve had lied about having experience. The jobs included accommodation in the staff quarters, accessed via an outdoor stairwell through the kitchen. Upon seeing their room, Joanne was underwhelmed by its size, asking Steve if there was any floor space or if that was where the porters slept. As per the house rules, Steve and Joanne were allowed no guests or music after 11pm and started their day with breakfast at 6am. After one shift, Joanne packed it in and started hitchhiking back to Weatherfield, and Steve wa