Jackson Jambalaya

What happened to all those waitresses from Twin Peak closurer.

Wow. I thought that His Holiness Mayor of Jackson for life just said how hard it is to get a job in the area. Seems like this place will take anyone willing to work hard..is that the issue?

How about an 80 year old retired guy. Slow, but mature looking. I have black shoes.

This is what America once was and could be again. Kids learning through working. Not earning a living because most teens do not need to do so.

***However, don't anyone ever, ever forget that some "kids" actually do to earn a living and for all sorts of reasons. If those that do are trying, have respect for and provide encouragement to them.***

For those that do not NEED a job to pay for life's essentials, learning some life lessons and work ethic along with a little folding money to be a teenager is something to encourage. Yeah, I'm old and things are what they are. What they could be again with a little parental encouragement has nothing to with age.

And a suggestion to Koestler - any kid who works hard, give them a date night a time or two a month or as prudent finances allow (and especially those who are working because they need to). Any kid who wants or needs to works, shows up, and actually works is the kind of potential future customer you want to cultivate. The hard-working busboy or busgirl you hire today could be your banker, lawyer, or boss in a few years. Yeah, that's a hint to potential hires.

School is starting back, too late. The kids with futures are playing sports, studying, and beefing up their college resumes with interning. The best this business is going to get is someone from a family in financial crisis.

Today's young don't work. The affluent see their "work" as participating in travel ball or select cheerleading. The less affluent take the menial jobs with the intention of doing as little work as possible. I would not start a business in this state, no way. Especially a restaurant.

Julie and Scott provide an incredible real life learning opportunity to teenagers.

This is a rare prospect in today’s world.

A safe environment which affords the chance for kids to see how hard work and team efforts make a business run. They can learn people and lives as well as see and meet some of the community who eat there regularly.

I had this chance at a similar place growing up and the lessons I learned pay off to this day.

Good luck Julie and Scott!

A fan

My family income is over $200K, so it's not financially necessary that my kids work. But both of my kids work (age 16 in high school and age 19 in college). My son works outdoors, and my daughter works in the restaurant industry. It is wonderful for them. They learn to take orders from somebody that isn't a parent or teacher, they make some of their own money, and they get valuable experience in what it is like to deal with all types of people. I push them to volunteer for extra shifts and pick up more hours. Try to get 50 or 60 in a week during the summer if you can. The lessons learned are incredible. They come home with stories about how this certain coworker is a hard worker and this other certain coworker is a lazy piece of crap. They deal with some of the nicest people and some of the worst people. It's great exposure to the real world that you don't get babysitting, or mowing a relative's yard, or working for your dad's company.

@10:22 PM and 7:40 AM - great advice and insight. I was a bus boy and dishwasher as a teen in the early 60s. It was hard work that instilled a work ethic for life.

"Wow. I thought that His Holiness Mayor of Jackson for life just said how hard it is to get a job in the area. Seems like this place will take anyone willing to work hard..is that the issue?"

@ 5:14am - made a great point - how many young white kids do you see working out in Madison county in restaurant positions? Not many.

The people that usually will take those jobs live in the city and public transportation does not go that far out. Then you have college kids that will usually take them, but schools out and those kids will not be back until mid-August.

@5:00 AM I beg to differ. My child is at a public school in Madison and she and all of her friends have been working this summer. And they are all good kids who are involved in school activities, who will be attending college. I don't know about private school kids, but it's very common for public school kids around here to work summer jobs. And they are learning valuable life skills.

I worked in the restaurant business throughout high school and college. It helped pay for multiple cars, rent, and two college degrees. Plus, as mentioned in earlier posts, I learned a lot about hard work, the hospitality industry, and to read and interact with all kinds of people. The latter are soft skills that serve you your entire life. Plus, we had a helluva lot of fun.

Throughout high school and college, I worked in construction, in the oilfields, at restaurants, and even in an ice house. Those life lessons were just as important as college courses. I've encouraged my children and now my grandchildren to do the same.

9:31AM--9PM again.

Did you hear of a new invention called a "bicycle?" I used one with my first paycheck to help me commute the three miles to work each way. For the first three weeks, it was a long walk. But after my first pay, and hitting a yard sale (and oil from a store), I now had transportation. It was a miracle!

I wonder if these crazy inventions have made it to Jackson yet! It would be amazing for high school students to be able to travel to and from a great job like this via a 'bicycle' instead of relying on a car or public transportation. I've also heard that cycling is great for your physical shape.

Seriously? I had physically abusive parents, was thankful for school lunch and breakfast (sometimes my only meals of the day), studied as best as I could to go to community college for next to nothing. Turned that into 2 years of borrowing to get a Bachelor's degree--moved away (several states away) to Mississippi and haven't looked back. I'm not going to be the one who buys the condo at South Walton, nor takes first-class airfare. But hey, my kids might and I'm not living in public housing anymore. I hope my kids and grandkids can live better than I did! So spare me the 'born into poverty' kind of talk. I lived it.

July 21, 2021 at 10:22 PM, no worries on nights-off. They state that they basically over-hire, knowing that these kids have outside activities.

And @9:31 to 5:14am - I see lots of young black AND white kids working in restaurants. "The people that usually will take those jobs" are kids whose parents want them working and out of trouble, or kids looking for their own income.

The reason many hard-working kids aren't interested is because they would have to deal with people like some of the pompous commenters on this thread.

If hard working kids have enough options available that they can simply opt-out of the jobs that include dealing with "pompous commenters" then good for them.

I was poor and worked in all sorts of service industry jobs and I am grateful that I learned to deal with all types of people.

Perhaps if more kids were forced to develop coping mechanisms, we would have less terminally offended folks walking around.