Hospitality Star of the Month - May 2008

Jennifer Tvedt Manager The Cheesecake Factory Southcenter Mall, Tukwila, WA

Jennifer started as a baker in September 2004 and was promoted to server in May 2007. In June 2007 she was promoted to manager. Below is the description of how Jennifer was able to reach out and turn around an unhappy day for one of our young guests. The guest, Tammy Anderson, sent this letter to the Guest Services department at The Cheesecake Factory.

I have no idea who receives comments about various restaurants in your company, but I wanted to tell you about an incredible experience I had at the Southcenter Mall location. I am a parent of two girls, one who's seven and the other whom is six. My six year old is very sick with cancer right now and is undergoing chemotherapy treatment. She decided on Valentine's Day that she wanted to go to The Cheesecake Factory. When we arrived the wait was very long; something like an hour to an hour in a half. We wanted our daughter to be happy, so we decided to go to the mall while we waited.

While we were there my six year old lost her pink bear, which she always carries with her. She was upset and was crying. She didn't even want to eat when we sat down at our table. This is when things changed. My daughter recognized one of your managers Jenni. She and my daughter were at the hospital at the same time receiving medical treatment. I later found out the she is a manager at this location. My daughter's eyes lit up when she saw her in the restaurant. My daughter told her how she lost her favorite pink bear and was upset she didn't have the bear with her. She gave my daughter a hug and talked with us for a little bit. We ate our dinner and at the end of the meal, Jenni surprised my daughter with a cheesecake factory pink pig that was adorable. My daughter loved it, she could not stop smiling and has not let go of this pig since yesterday!

She can't wait to go back The Cheesecake Factory either. She wanted to go this morning for breakfast and now she is asking me about lunch! I am sure we will be back soon. But I wanted to tell whoever gets these comments that you put a smile on my daughter’s face that my husband and I have not seen in a while. Thank you for this and please let Jenni know she was a guardian angel that night. Also, let her know I hope she is feeling well, it can't be easy.

~ Tammy Anderson