Employees get a peak at their surprise gifts from a loyal customer.
Image Credit: Chopped Leaf
March 03, 2015 - 8:39 AM
KAMLOOPS - He’s a customer who has visited the Chopped Leaf restaurant in Sahali almost every day since they opened in 2011 but last week he made sure he would be remembered for more than just being a loyal customer.
Customer Cory, who wishes to remain quiet about his generosity, brought in gifts for the staff to show his appreciation for all their hard work. He gave a Starbucks gift card to every employee who has been working at the restaurant for more than six months. Then all those employees got their name entered into a draw for a special surprise gift as well.
“He came in and said ‘in all the time I’ve come here the staff are always happy, never made a mistake',” owner Brenda Chornohus says of Cory’s reason for paying it forward. “It’s just incredible, I have goose bumps.”
Makenna Larocque, who began working at Chopped Leaf in July 2012 when she was just 16 and now works there full-time, was the lucky winner of the draw and will be on her way to see Imagine Dragons perform in Vancouver this summer thanks to one of her favourite customers.
“He always has a smile on his face. He’s a really nice guy,” she says. “He’s the one (of our regular customers) that sticks out the most.”
Chornohus says to make the experience complete for her employee, she has also made arrangements to have Larocque’s hotel room covered while she is in Vancouver.
“I’m stoked. It’s definitely unexpected,” Larocque says. “It’s nice to feel appreciated. Sometimes you’re working so hard and trying to be so nice, and it’s nice to hear that it affects them. They do appreciate that I’m smiling at them even though I really don’t always want to.”
To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn at jstahn@infonews.ca or call 250-819-3723. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
Makenna, Katie and Alexa were floored by a customer who came bearing gifts for all the employees at Chopped Leaf last week. Makenna also won a prize of tickets to see Imagine Dragons, courtesy of the customer.
(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
News from © iNFOnews, 2015