TEMPLE, Texas — One local restaurant in Temple is making a difference in the lives of individuals, one pancake order at a time.
Wes's Burger Shack and More is full of great food and even better service.
Saturday morning, waiters with different special needs were able to serve up pancakes, biscuits and gravy all for just $5.
All the tips they made, they got to keep themselves. But for them, it was more than just the money.
“I always wanted to become a waiter and this is my dream come true," Preston Petter, 21-year-old waiter and employee at Wes's Burger Shack, said.
Dreams are becoming realities at Wes’s Burger Shack and More. Individuals with various disabilities were able to wait on tables, serve up pancakes and mingle with customers.
"It’s a wonderful experience, something that I've never experienced with my son before," Rachael Williams, waiter Kaleb Hunt's mom, said. "It touches my heart to know that there are people out here in the community who allow him to be just like everybody else.”
They gained the kind of experience that will carry them throughout life.
"It gives them the opportunity to roll silverware, fill bottles, just different tasks so that when they get out of school they can get them a job somewhere," Wesley Teeters, restaurant owner, said.
Chloe Flores was born with a visual impairment and finding a job has been hard. But, her time as a waitress is something she will never forget.
"I will definitely look back at it and remember all the fun memories and things I got to do because I was allowed to do it and show what I’m capable of," Chloe Flores, a 23-year-old waitress, said.
They were surrounded with love by their number one fans.
"It’s like they're part of my family and they’re really nice people," Petter said. "So, every time when I walk in they say 'Hi Preston! How are you?' And I say, 'Good.' So, it’s really nice to say hi.”
What they earn, they keep. The tips go straight from the table into their pocket.
But for them, it’s not about the money.
"Don’t want a full pocket. Want a full heart," Teeters said. "When you can do things like this, it will give you a full heart.”
A full heart that keeps on growing with moments like this.
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