Waffle House: Customers extend helping hand to lone employee

Ethan Crispo was feeling hungry post a friend's birthday party and stopped by a local Waffle House restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama, to get a midnight snack. He walked into the restaurant on November 3, at around 12:30 am and saw about 30 customers who were inside. Crispo, 24 said when he sat down at the table he did not get his ordered waffle for a long time and observed that there was just one employee in the restaurant to cook the food, serve it and wash the dishes. Crispo said the employee whose name is Ben looked very stunned, weary and maybe fearful. Crispo added that there was no one else working except him. Surprisingly, Crispo saw the employee talking to a customer in a blue shirt seated at the counter.

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Crispo says the customers helped the employees

He then added that the employee handed the man an apron and the customer began doing the dishes. He said he assumed it was a staff member returning to his shift but later wrote in an email that the man was not a staff but a stranger who answered the calls, cleaned the tables, rinsed the dishes and stacked up the plates. Crispo initially sent an email to a news outlet who first wrote the story. He said the customer and the employee worked together. When the server walked over to Crispo's table, Crispo questioned him about what was going on and the server answered him that the two other employees had been there to help him, but they left so the customers dived in to help the lone employee.

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Manager responds to the email

Crispo said a customer who was all dressed up, walked behind the counter and started making coffee. Crispo acknowledged that she tried to figure out how to work on a coffee maker and added that the lady was in a sequined dress and heels. She tried to take an order or two but ultimately went to clear the tables. The Waffle House did not respond to the email but the restaurant's director confirmed that there had been a miscommunication in scheduling workers during that night at the restaurant on Highway 280. He was quoted saying several employees left when their shifts were over and their replacement workers did not show up. Crispo said he ended up getting his food and that it was the most incredible thing he has ever seen.

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