Applebee's!

Our Little Server

Saturday was Jerry's Applebee's fundraiser event for the Impact Academy's school trip for the older kids at the end of this school year. We sold tickets to friends and Jerry was asked to volunteer.

We had to be there by 7:30 am...on a Saturday...which made for a bit of a rocky start to our weekend. No matter how much I prepped him and talked to him about how early I would be waking him, he still grumbled quite a bit when 6:45 arrived and he had to pry those eyelids open, even after having gone to bed at 8 the night before. It's the teenager in him.

Once he was awake and moving though, he had a great attitude. He stood in the Applebee's parking lot for the first thirty minutes watching his friends and their families pull in to park and then we went in to begin working.

He greeted people, seated them and gave them their utensils, took drink orders, delivered food and drinks, and then carried dirty dishes back to the kitchen and sorted them into the sink. He did great and had an attitude to match. The only thing we have to work on is working more independently and eye contact. But other than that, he worked hard...until about 8:30 when he said, "Mom, I'm tired of giving people pancakes. Can I eat some now?" He hadn't eaten any breakfast before we left and so he was now hungry...borderline "hangry." Thankfully, John and the other kids arrived shortly after and he sat with them to eat before getting back to work.

The kids who volunteered split the tips and Jerry got a pep talk by the nicest general manager ever, Brian. He  told Jerry that, when he is old enough, he can come back and work in his restaurant anytime. It was nice to see a glimpse of productive Jerry, contributing as best he can and feeling proud of himself for doing so. In the end, he really enjoyed his time at Applebee's and can't wait to do it again. Great opportunity!