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TOP STORY OF THE DAY, brought to you free by WICU:'Fry Guy' Weaver saluted for keeping the Wendy’s restaurant hopping for 26 years
While many restaurants are having trouble these days filling their shifts with willing and able workers, the Wendy’s restaurant in Brazil has at least one position it knows is rock solid in the hands of Mark Weaver.
The 48-year-old Weaver is developmentally disabled but does not let that fact affect his performance.
Weaver has worked mostly as the lunchtime french fry maker (Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) for the past 26 years, and was honored recently for his longevity and dedication.
Manager Paula Hughbanks is in her second stint with Wendy’s, and Weaver has been with the store during that entire time.
She acknowledged Weaver is one of the longest-tenured employees on her staff.
“He started out cleaning tables in the dining room and greeting guests, and he eventually moved up to cooking the fries,” Hughbanks said. “He’s absolutely a good worker, and he doesn’t ever miss work, unless it’s for a doctor’s appointment. He would work seven days a week, but he said he has to go to church on Sundays.”
Weaver was honored with a cake, a large collection of balloons and a gift card from a Wendy’s corporate official.
Anyone visiting the store doesn’t have to wait long to find out if Weaver is there, and he is very outspoken and constantly making his co-workers laugh.
“He keeps the whole crew going all day long,” she said. “He’s very popular with all the other workers and he keeps us all on our toes.”
Like all employees, Weaver has had occasional mishaps over the years.
“He has his moments, but he still does his little dances,” Hughbanks said. “He’s a go-getter. When he comes in, it’s his station — you don’t touch it. He’s very protective of his fry station.”
Weaver is proud of the work he does.
“I cook them, and serve them and I do a really good job of it,” he said. “It’s a hard job, but somebody has got to do it. I have learned how to do nuggets, but I haven’t learned burgers yet. I’m thinking about it.”
There is no special secret for making good fries.
“I cook them until the timer goes off and they’re done,” he said. “I look forward to coming to work a lot, especially when I do a good job and everybody’s proud of me.”
The special event at the end of a recent shift was very special to Weaver.
“It’s pretty cool, man,” he said.
He admits to having made an occasional mistake over the years.
“I have dropped a few things, but when I do I sweep it up and I do a really good job of it,” Weaver said.
Weaver has given himself the title of “manager,” although the store hierarchy does not indicate that status. No one seems to mind.
Weaver makes a point to help train the new hirees at the finer points of making fries.
“I have to train them because I’m a manager, and I do a good job of training them,” he said. “That’s fun to be a manager and work hard. I get good tips from the customers.”
Hughbanks said Weaver could potentially do more difficult tasks, but she doubts that will happen.
“I don’t think he’d way to change,” she said. “He’s been in that position, and he knows what he’s doing. He’ll keep doing it as long as he’s able to.”
While most people would say the paycheck is their main motivation for going to work, Weaver has a different highlight.
“The best part of the job is working hard and doing a good job,” he said. “Getting tips, getting my fries done and anything they ask me to do. When they have me run an order out to somebody, I do a good job of that.
“I think this job is really excellent,” Weaver added. “Especially because my mom is proud of me, and everybody else.”
Caroline Weaver is indeed proud of her son, and thinks the job is an excellent situation for him.
“This job is the best thing for Mark,” she said. “It keeps him busy with lots of friends. We don’t go anywhere that we don’t see somebody who knows him from Wendy’s and speaks to him. That just makes his day.”
Caroline added that Wendy’s was not Mark’s first job.
“He had another job before this one, but Mark has always been eager to work,” she said. “He doesn’t want to just sit around with nothing to do. He wants to come to work, and he’s always been that way. Wendy’s has treated Mark well.”
Caroline added that a lot of people in Mark’s situation do not have the stability of a job like he does, let alone one that has lasted for such a long time.
“He’s been very fortunate, and we feel fortunate that he has been able to do it this long,” she said. “He has never let his disability get in his way. He is a people person.”