FRESH NEWS

It’s an Annual Tradition for John & Kathy Morberg on Mother’s Day

One of our restaurant’s values is “Hospitality is fun!”  One of the latest example of making hospitality fun was on Mother’s Day when the company’s CEO, John Morberg, and his wife, Kathy, joining the crew at the Lakewood, CA, Souplantation.  John and Kathy spent the day working side by side with the crew, engaging guests and simply having fun.

The Lakewood morning crew working moms with John and Kathy Morberg, from left, Christina Hernandez, Carmen Chavez, John, Kathy, and Maricela Campos

“Each year, Kathy and I spend Mother’s Day at a restaurant working with one of our restaurant teams for a couple reason: First, to get a personal understanding of what it takes to get the job done, and, secondly, as a way to show our appreciation for the hard work our engaged crews do, not only on Mother’s Day, but throughout the year,” John said. “While I try to help in the dining room, baking and even in the dish room, I’m confident that the crew views me as slow and mostly in the way. But I have to tell you it is a great day for me and I come away energized by what I see and learn.”

Garden Fresh CEO John Morberg works in the dish room this past Sunday at Lakewood, CA, Souplantation

Rather than “being in the way,” Lakewood General Manager Mark Manolovits said, “John inspired and motivated because he was just so real and genuine. Having John and Kelly here created a buzz and so impressed our guests and crew who see that John is just a normal and hard-working guy who rolled up his sleeves and did everything he could to make guests happy. It was fun and my best day in my nearly two years with Garden Fresh.”

Handing out carnations to guests at the Lakewood, CA Souplantation on Mother's Day is Kathy Morberg, wife of CEO John Morberg

John and Kathy handed out carnations to mothers as they entered the restaurant. From there, they began working different areas of the restaurant. Kathy ended up spending a great deal of the time in the dish room and recalls just how much energy it takes to work a shift in the restaurant.

“It is a lot of work when they store is so busy,” Kathy says. “What I most appreciate is the teamwork and dedication of the crew I see each time I work in a restaurant. At the end of the day I was tired, but with a renewed appreciation for all the people who make Garden Fresh such a great place.”

Mother's Day guests with John and Kathy Morberg at the Lakewood, CA, Souplantation. This mother has been bringing her son to Souplantation for the past 24 years!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *