Bandito busboy is heart of the restaurant
There are people in life everyone must meet. These people have charisma, style and can make you smile just by being in their presence. One of these people is Bobby Willis.
Those who dine at Bandito Burrito during lunch hours are lucky enough to have contact with Willis, a 26-year-old special needs adult, who works at the restaurant three days a week as a bus boy. It is a job he loves.
Willis began working at the restaurant two years ago after his job at Subzone ended abruptly due to the restaurant's unexpected closing. His mother, Beverly Young, said losing the job depressed Willis, so she turned to old friends, Walt and Glenda Anderson, owners of Bandito Burrito.
"No one was receptive to hiring a young adult with special needs. I have known Walt and Glenda Anderson since 1995. Their daughter was in special education with Bobby and I knew they would understand. I called Walt and he said sure," Young said.
Willis works on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. During this time, he takes great pride in bussing tables and transporting dirty dishes to the kitchen for dishwashing, but his favorite part of the job is the people he gets to work with.
"We are a family. The waitresses are nice to me and they are pretty," Willis said.
Dustin Veal, manager of Bandito Burrito, says he can depend on Willis to always do a good job. He also knows Willis is an asset to the staff.
"Honestly, Bobby brightens up the whole staff when he comes in because he is always smiling. We look forward to seeing him when he works," Veal said.
Willis feels the same about Veal, saying Veal is cool and that he gives him respect despite his special needs.
"If people aren't nice to me, Dustin gets on to them," Willis said.
Young feels that the job at Bandito Burrito has given her son a more functional work environment by allowing him to perform different job duties and putting trust in him to complete those duties.
"They watch out for Bobby and we don't have to worry about him when he is at work," Young said.
Willis was born suffering from seizures, more than likely due to a staff infection of the mastoid bone, a bone positioned behind the ear. He has been on medication since he was born to prevent seizures and has spent his life in and out of Children's Hospital. He recently had a Vagus Nerve Stimulator implanted into his chest wall to control his violent seizures.
"The device keeps his Vagus nerve stimulated during seizures along with a cocktail of medicine. This is the least medicine that he has been on and that makes him more functional than ever," Young said.
Willis still seeks his medical care from Children's Hospital, seeing Dr. Martina Bevin, a doctor he has come to love because, as he says, "she talks to me."
Young said her son's educational milestones really began at Liberty Middle School and were enhanced more at Bob Jones High School. Willis said his home economics class with former culinary teacher, Judy Brown, was what prepared him for the restaurant business.
"We got to cook in that class. I was in there with my friends," Willis said.
Willis is a true people person, a characteristic that has given him many experiences for a child and adult with special needs. While at Bob Jones he served as the varsity boys' basketball trainer under former coaches Dan Bell and Jamie Coggins. Willis still talks of these days and the friends he made from those teams.
"We went to the state tournament," he says.
Having socialization is important to Willis, who started the Madison Mighty Explorers, a social group made up of special needs students who graduated from Bob Jones and Sparkman High Schools. The group gets together to go to the movies, bowl and celebrate the holidays. Willis, who hosts the annual Christmas party, came up the idea to purchase toys for the Toys for Tots program instead of buying each other gifts.
"They are in need. We have all we need," Willis said.
That is just the person Willis is. The kind of person that spends his tip money on his sister's Christmas present in July. The kind of person who can't help but love everyone he works with. The kind of person who while carrying the 1996 Olympic Torch drew a small crowd asking for his autograph. He is just a kind person.
Helen Underwood wrote on Oct 12, 2007 11:00 AM: