Amazing Heart And Compassion

To the Editor:

My oldest son, Kyle, has been employed at Five Guys Burger & Fries since August 2007. The staff there is made up mostly of teenagers (most of whom are good friends outside of work), juggling school, work, and, of course, the all-important teenage social life. Occasionally my husband, Ken, would go there for lunch and was fortunate to not only see his son working hard but how all the kids were working hard as a team with pride. Kyle was even able to take his lunch/break with his dad and they would talk.

Ken always gave a high five and would say, “See you later, pal” as he left. On February 1 this year, Ken died suddenly, and our life as we knew it was changed forever. Kyle at this time had been working for six months.

The kids there get paid a base salary and split the tips from the tip jar evenly between all of them on each shift. On their own, this group of kids (teenagers), an age group stereotyped as self-absorbed, lazy and unfocused, decided to save the tips for one week. They surprised my son with a check for $500, which was matched by the owners, the Marona family, themselves.

I share this story with you not to dwell on my family’s sorrow but to publicly acknowledge how special these individuals are and to give a well-overdue thank you. Nick and the whole Marona family, Fauna, Justin, Tim, Luke, Cody, and all the rest of the staff at Five Guys, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing this for my family. You are all such fine people with amazing heart and compassion. We will never forget your kindness. Your families, I am sure, are proud!

Forever grateful,

Karen Hensel

11 Round Hill Road, Sandy Hook                                August 8, 2008