All across the nation, there has been a pretty massive shortage of labor. The main sufferers of this shortage have been in the food industry which has just been getting their feet back under them after over a year of lockdown in some places.
While things are looking on the up, restaurants are still struggling to staff their dining rooms.
In fast food, many workers have simply announced they are quitting! With a handwritten sign, would-be customers find out that no, they won’t be getting that McFlurry as they hoped to. With the shortages, many places have started offering bonuses or increasing their wages to potentially attract new workers. In one Waffle House in Tennessee, however, they needed the help of the law.
One Tenessee Waffle House needed the help of law enforcement in their store… but it was to help make waffles!
A group of officers from Jefferson County recently hit the news when they decided to help out at a local Waffle House. Sergeant Jonathan Bright and his crew of five officers frequent the establishment each night after their 12-hour shifts.
When the officers walked in before, they were told it was closed.
A group of employees had just walked out mid-shift that Sunday morning and left behind a huge pile of dishes and trash. The work was overflowing and the remaining staff was out of luck.
“There wasn’t a single clean dish insight,” said Bright. “There was one elderly woman in there. I had never seen (her), but she has really bad arthritis in her hands. Looking at her, it hurt her to work a broom. So, I was like we need to help them.’
The men felt compassion for the overworked people and stepped in to help!
It wasn’t a quick job, either. For two hours the officers helped clean.
“We were cleaning the toilets, the sinks — everything from top down,” Tracy Roberts said.
It’s not easy being a food worker when most of your staff walk out on the busiest day. The officers saw how tough they had it and knew how it felt.
The officers understood what it looks like to take on a tough job!
If there’s one thing that can unite two different groups of people like that, it’s hardship (and maybe waffles). Both were in abundance that day, resulting in the world getting a chance to see a truly heartwarming moment.
“It’s stressful for us in the jail, because once these people are arrested and brought in they’re mad. They’re upset and we have to talk them down once they get there,” Corporal Kayla Gabbard said.
Waffle House never commented but the story lived on.
Honestly, it’s a great reminder to view everyone as a person worthy of respect. Sheriff Jeff Coffey was happy when he heard what his team had done. Being kind to people that you normally view as part of your routine is a wonderful way to soften a heart. Hopefully, they got the waffles they so badly wanted, too.
Check out the video below!
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