There are bonuses, and then there are bonuses. And it could be said that an employee at a local restaurant got a ‘hum’ dinger!
It was a typical workday for Antonio Gibson — who has been an employee of Slim Chickens in Gray since its opening — until his boss Justin Kelly called an employee meeting Friday afternoon.
It was at that meeting that Kelly handed the keys to the Slim Chickens Hummer along with a free and clear title to the vehicle to Antonio.
During a Sept. 21 interview with Kelly about the gift, he said he met Antonio at a Jones County High School career fair and hired him and several other students on the spot. Antonio is currently in his junior year, and Kelly said he was one of four students that trainers for Slim Chickens doubted would make it.
As a side note, the interview took place on the front porch of Kelly’s other business, Dairy Queen, on the day it was closed due to city water being out. The interview was even more entertaining than expected because of the numerous vehicles that made their way around the obstacles placed at the entrance of the closed restaurant, driven by people refusing to be denied their DQ treats.
Kelly said the trainers were right about the other three employees but not Antonio.
“He’s known by his friends as ‘the mayor’ and he is a super-kind of guy,” the owner said. “Antonio stuck it out and he’s always smiling. There’s just something different about him.”
Kelly said the first couple of weeks after Slim Chickens opened it was more about getting the food out quickly and Antonio was OK with that. But he struggled when things slowed down and it was more about the quality of the product.
The owner said he continued to coach Antonio, and it worked, a light switched on.
“He’s ended up being the strongest employee on the whole payroll,” Kelly said. “He’s our lead man in the kitchen.”
The owner said Antonio was able to work full time during the summer, but when school started, he had limited transportation to work and was only able to work three days a week. He wanted to work more and started looking for cheap transportation to purchase.
Kelly said he realized that he really did not need the Hummer anymore. The vehicle had fulfilled its purpose of advertising for Slim Chickens.
“I wanted to do something good with it, and I thought about giving it away,” he said. “I asked the other kids at the restaurant what they thought about me giving it to Antonio.”
Kelly said there was not a negative comment made. All the other kids were for it. He said he checked with Antonio’s mother to be sure it was OK with her, and she was ecstatic.
The vehicle was presented to Antonio the next day.
“I’d much rather do something good with it than sell it,” the owner added.
In a phone interview with Antonio, he said he was loving every second of it.
“This is truly a blessing. I have the best boss in the world,” he said.
Antonio said working at Slim Chickens was his first real job, and he had to adapt to it. He said he was excited when he was hired and the idea of being able to make money.
“Mr. Justin is the best person I know. You can’t imagine how I felt with all my friends texting and calling,” he said.
At the time of the interview, Antonio had not yet been able to drive his new vehicle to school since it was closed Monday and Tuesday due to the water issue.
“It still doesn’t feel real, and it’s sitting in my driveway,” he said.
