A Wendy’s employee in New Mexico is being praised on social media for his actions after he was photographed helping a blind couple enjoy their meal.
Cindy Griswold was eating at an Albuquerque Wendy’s last week when she spotted a worker named Richard (later identified as Wendy’s employee Richard Wise-Attwood) helping the blind pair get seated and getting them necessary utensils such as straws, napkins and condiments.
“So this Wendy’s employee, (2203 Wyoming Blvd. Albuquerque NM) took care of this two blind customers with so much love,” Griswold shared on Facebook on Sunday, September 9. “The way he took care of them was amazing. He didn’t do it because is part of his job, he did it because he wanted to help from the bottom of his heart.”
The post, which includes photos of Wise-Attwood bringing the couple ketchup, has been liked nearly 200 times and received dozens of comments and shares. “He made sure the table was in a good spot and he carried the sodas, straws, napkins, ketchup and of course, he place the food in the right order, so they knew who’s sandwich was in front of them,” Griswold continued. “He went back several times to make sure everything was fine. We need more ‘Richard’s’ in this world…”
Though Wise-Attwood wasn’t aware Griswold was taking photos of him at the time and didn’t assist the duo because he was looking accolades, JAE Restaurant Group, the franchise organization that owns and operates this Wendy’s restaurant, tells Us Weekly it is proud of its employee’s actions. “Richard’s behavior exemplifies the values of our founder Dave Thomas and his customer-focused approach,” a company spokesperson explained. “It’s nice to know that Dave’s principle of respecting and honoring the customer is being put into action by employees like Richard who really care about our customer’s experience.”
And while he may not have acted the way he did with a reward in mind, Wise-Attwood does hope others will learn from his example. “I’m hoping that it does show people that even if you do work at an establishment such as Wendy’s or McDonald’s, customer service will show somebody a good day and they’ll pass it on to someone else,” he told local news station KRQE.
According to Today, Wendy’s plans to acknowledge Wise-Attwood’s good deed with a “special celebration” and some gifts. He’s also being nominated for the franchise owner’s JAEStar program, which rewards employees who “model Dave Thomas’ core values such as doing the right thing and treating people with respect.”
