Approximately 5 months ago an older man with gray hair and a gray beard began coming into Rancho Mirage around 7pm each evening. He was a regular guest and always asked to be seated in the back of the restaurant. He would order food and pay his tab like many of our other regulars. However, after a couple of weeks we began noticing a pattern that he would lean his head against the wall and fall asleep until we would close our doors. The team learned his name was Randy. He was always very nice and gracious but he wore the same clothes each day and although they were clean we noticed he carried around a very large heavy duffel bag. What also struck our team was that he seemed to have some health issues and walked with a pretty severe limp.
A few weeks later the team took note of the fact that he would come in but only order a soda. He continued to sit in the same area and fall asleep. Eventually we noticed how beat down this man was and that he had not been ordering any food for 5 or 6 days. A caring team member asked him why he was not ordering food and he replied that he didn’t have money. Right away she offered to buy his food and he accepted the offer. The team had started to take an interest in Randy and so for the next week or so a different TM would do the same for him. It was heart warming to see the team want to help someone clearly in need.
After one of those nights as he was leaving the restaurant one of the team members noticed Randy limping across the parking lot and offered Randy a ride. His ride was a short one, about 300 yards away to the nearest IHOP. That is where he asked Chris to drop him off. By this time the team had taken a great interest in Randy and I was approached by a couple of team members and asked if there was something we could do to help this nice man. Perhaps a collection they thought. I was touched by their compassion and said that we did not know much about his situation except that he did not have enough money to pay for his dinners but I would sit down and talk to him and see what I could find out.
The next opportunity I had, I sat down with Randy and got to know him a little bit more. I was a little blunt and asked him about his situation. As we had suspected Randy had been homeless for about the past 4 months. The economy had taken a huge toll on him and his health issue with his leg was taking a toll as well. He works at Jo Ann’s down the street but his hours had been cut and he was only scheduled about 12 hours per week. His leg swells up incredibly when it is hot and when he is on his feet for too long which his why he has such a hard time walking. It can get as hot as 120 degrees in Rancho Mirage which was not helping his health. I was extremely impressed that with his health issues he was still trying to work his job and do his best to keep plugging along. He said, “things will get better.” I asked him why he was having the team members drop him off at IHOP and he said that is where he goes each night until 6am until it is time for him to go to work 3 times per week. The other days he heads to the mall during the day to beat the heat until he would come in to Red Robin in the evening. This is what he had been doing now for several months. When I shared this with the team we were all moved by such an awful situation. Some of the TM’s asked what we could do to help and the idea of a collection was brought up again. I told them that surely we could come up with a few hundred dollars but that would help for maybe a few weeks. So we began brainstorming ideas. The final decision we all made was to try to get him place to live.
Within a couple of days Sheri and Seth had set up meeting for me to meet with a handful of different apartment complexes. We were extremely lucky to find a low income 55 and older community. I was able to speak with the manager and tell her about the situation and what my team was trying to do to help Randy and I also was able to meet with a social worker in the same complex. They offered to help also and offered us a studio apartment with a full bathroom and kitchen for $300.00 a month. They also said they would be able to get Randy a free bus pass every month to be able to use it to get to work and back. They would be able to get him a good amount of free food twice a month. The social worker offered to work on getting him some much needed medical care for his leg and low cost prescription drugs if need be to help his leg issues.
After gathering all of the information I shared it with many of the team members. What happened next was truly amazing. As we continued talking I began to see truly how unconditional and giving my team is. They wanted and were willing to commit to pay for Randy’s first 6 months of rent to help him get back on his feet and get a second chance at a normal life. This would enable him to hopefully heal and become stronger and able to work more and get back on his feet again. I was totally shocked and very proud of my team.
The next step was to tell Randy. To my surprise initially Randy would not accept the offer. He just kept telling me that we had already done enough by letting him come to the restaurant on a daily basis for so many hours out of the heat, and team members and management giving him a ride and buying him food. He would always say that it was OK and things would get better. This went on for about 3-4 weeks until one day when it was about 110 degrees he came in looking awful and extra beat down. I approached him again and said that the team really wanted to help and his answer was it will be OK and things will get better. I was a little mad and said this was the way it was going to get better. The team really wants to do this and it was not a matter of pride and he needed to let them. He looked at me and finally said ok.
This now began a 2 month process of going back and forth with the complex always needing more paperwork; check stubs, applications, and much red tape. During the process I learned that this man that looked and we thought was around 75 years old was only 57! This information actually brought tears to my eyes. This man was beat down to the point of almost no return.
My team was so incredible during this process. Not only had they committed to helping for 6 months but also they started collecting all kinds of items to get Randy’s apartment furnished and ready to move in. The team collected, supplied and bought a bed, dresser, lamps, desk, table, chairs, microwave, TV, refrigerator, sheets, pillows, towels, toilet paper, paper towels, toiletries, and even popcorn to go with that microwave to be able to fully furnish Randy’s new pad.
On the Saturday that he was to move in Ricky and I sat in the apartment office with Randy as he signed the paperwork for his lease. That day I saw a Randy that we had never seen in 5 months. Randy was smiling and laughing and even cracking jokes as we left and drove to the .99-cent store. That moment became so real and so rewarding for my team and me.Randy has now been in his new home for 2 weeks and has stopped by the restaurant 3 times after work to say hi and wait in the lobby for his bus. He is on the road to physical and financial recovery because of the amazing efforts and truly caring and giving team members at Rancho Mirage.
I am so proud to work for a company that stresses the importance of unbridled acts. I have been with the company for about 5 ½ years and have never witnessed much less been a part of such an unbridled act. It has been truly amazing to be a part of and committed to an act of this magnitude being done by a team that cares so much about a stranger that they were willing to come together and help change somebody’s life possibly forever. I am extremely proud of my Rancho Mirage team.
