Jennifer Steen

Restaurant professional with 26 years of experience in customer service and conflict resolution. Expertise in enhancing operational efficiency and driving sales through effective upselling techniques. Maintains high food safety standards while building strong guest relationships to ensure satisfaction and repeat business. Proven ability to support kitchen and wait staff, delivering genuine hospitality and memorable experiences.

Shortly after my employment at Perkins began I was asked to participate in the fundraising event they had scheduled.  Shortly thereafter I began to familiarize myself with their cause and was immediately drawn to it.  During that time my niece was suffering from a rare brain cancer and succumbed to her illness only a few weeks after that first event.  From that moment on I worked every fundraising event, I donated my personal brand new designer handbags, clutches, toys to be raffled, I looked for sales, gave the GM coupons from my "valued customer" emails.  I wanted to help drive the cost down and raise the overall contribution, even if only by the little I had.  In January 2024 I started to become ill myself.  I missed a fair amount of work and spending much of my time in bed.  I could not work the next event but I wanted to help which is when I decided to put that time to use.  I began reaching out to local businesses for in kind donations, many shut me down but I persisted and received tickets for Morey's Pier ( $280 value), historical pub crawl for 2 ($150), Hand and Stone Facial or Stone Massage ($90), I also donated another designer bag of my own ($190).  It may not be much but the entire raffel table for that event cost the company nothing thanks to the in kind donations and items donated by some of our generous customers.  Sadly that was the beginning of the end for me.  A few weeks later my GM requested that I help a coworker going through a difficult phase.  She knows I know about state laws and how to help this employee get the help she needed, so I agreed.  It was also close to Christmas and this employee was struggling.  So I did my own fundraising and with alot of help from family and friends and a few employees her children had a Christmas, and although we were both not getting hours and had our own worries, that coworker and I got together and helped 4 other familes that holiday season.  It was exhausting and stressful which was made worse by the unwarranted hostility it caused in the workplace; you always here that phrase "The true meaning of Christmas", it was the first that I've felt that.  Soon after, I realized that there was a divide in a once really close group of coworkers, and I was on the wrong side. So I had a talk with Brandon, cried my eyes out and left.  I felt I needed to explain the best I could without being denigrating, but I am saddened by it and I hope to one day put it behind us.