For Jim Gribble, the path to eventually owning Iola’s A&W Restaurant started with a fry basket.
He was 14 when he first walked into the restaurant looking for a job. He got it as a fry cook.
Gribble became manager shortly after graduating from high school. Now, the 65-year-old is in the process of purchasing the restaurant from owners Jim and Barbie Daugharthy, with the transition expected to be completed in about a year.
His wife, Teresa, had a similar experience. She began working at A&W when she was 16.
The couple’s connection to the restaurant eventually became a family affair. All three of their children have worked there, as have several of their eight grandchildren. Three grandchildren are still employees.
A&W CURRENTLY employs 33 people; 16 are teenagers.
For the Gribbles, those young workers are not simply filling shifts. They are learning how to work with the public, handle responsibility and become more comfortable in the world outside school.
“They learn how to deal with the public,” Jim said. “And a lot of them are developing a good work ethic.”
Jim has watched young employees grow considerably during their time at A&W. Many arrive unsure of themselves.
“When they first start, most are nervous,” he said. “But once they learn how to do things, their confidence starts showing and starts improving.”
Teresa sees that transformation as well. “I just love kids,” she said. “I want to see them do well. If they’re doing well, we’re doing well.”
Her own career took her away from A&W for stretches at a time.
After marrying Jim at age 18, she raised their three children and later spent about 12 years teaching at a Christian school in Iola. When their first grandchild arrived, she left teaching to help care for the baby.
She eventually returned to A&W and has spent much of the past two decades back at the restaurant.
That history has given Teresa a particular appreciation for the role a workplace can play in a young person’s life.
Some teenagers, she said, need more than a paycheck. “I know things are kind of tough around here. And some of these kids, they just need a little extra family to belong to,” she said.
