Last nights’s tragic events at JJ’s Restaurant in Kansas City were a tough blow for the entire restaurant industry. Â Around the country people stopped to think, “That could have been my restaurant.” or “That could have been me.” Â These sorts of events hit home for so many of us who never think about the dangers we face by simply going to work.
I honestly don’t have the words to sum up what I am feeling at this point. Â It is going to take some time to process this one. Â Instead of the endless cycle of typing and deleting that I have found myself in while looking for the right words, I am going to save that for another day. Â In the meantime, I wanted to share two thoughts with all of you.
First, I want to thank all of you for the outpouring of support and concern. Â Many of you know that I am a Kansas City native. Â What you might not know is that this and all of my sites were started just a few blocks from JJ’s. Â Immediately after the story broke, servers and bloggers from around the country were already contacting me to make sure I was alright and to ask how they could help. Â I know I speak for many of us here in Kansas City when I say that the outpouring of concern from around the country is astounding and greatly appreciated.
Second, I want to ask all of you to consider what you can do to help those that were affected. Â My restaurant was fine and I will have a job tomorrow. Â For those that worked at JJ’s this is the least of their concern. Â The local restaurant community is lining up to do what we can to make sure that these people have jobs waiting for them when they are ready. Â In the meantime, they deserve some time to grieve the loss of their co-worker and come to grips with what has happened. Â Some great people in the restaurant community have started a fund through PayPal to help gather funds to assist the members of JJ’s staff. Â I am also making my plea to ask for your help as well.
To encourage contributions to this incredibly worthy cause, I have set up a small gift to thank everyone for their donations. Â I have lowered the price of my book on the special page to $12.75. Â $10 of every copy purchased through this link will go to the JJ’s support fund. Â The remaining $2.75 will pay for the shipping. Â I will donate as many copies of the book as needed to help encourage others to donate to this worthy cause. Â This is just my way of saying thank you for contributing.
I will have a great deal more to say about this topic, but this is not the time. Â For the industry, this is a time to grieve and a time to come together to support those who suffered such a tremendous loss. Â I still need some time to process all of this myself. Â I think we all do. Â This is one of those days that I am glad I am not a professional journalist who has a deadline to turn in a story. Â A few of them have already contacted me trying to find some way to tell this story. Â I don’t have any answers. Â I am just a proud server and proud Kansas Citian. Â On behalf of all of us, all I can say is “Thank You” for all of your support and continued prayers.