EAST LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — There’s a waitress in East Lansing whom many people have come to love for her kindness whenever they dine in. That’s why one woman took to social media to organize a special way to say thank you.
Restaurant server Cho Sonnenberg has touched many of her guests’ hearts in the 26 years she’s worked there. “When I come to IHOP, I see just Cho working.” said DeAndreah Threatt, the organizer of a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for Cho.
She told Cho, “I just wanted to put a smile on your face and celebrate you. ”
Threatt posted a GoFundMe page on Facebook, and the support came flooding in. “I knew you worked here for years, but I didn’t know you impacted so many people’s lives,” Threatt said.
The campaign raised $4,000 for Sonnenberg, which organizers presented to her in the form of a big check. “My heart is just so happy, and basically, you know, I love my job, I love my crew, and of course I love my customers,” Sonnenberg said.
DeAndreah Threatt and her mother, Rosalind Threatt, first met Sonnenberg when she served them at IHOP and were struck by her kindness and strong work ethic, so the mother and daughter organized the online fundraising campaign together.
“It brought back a lot of memories from a lot of people that responded,” Rosalind Threatt said. “From, ‘Oh, I remember her. She did this;’ ‘I remember her with my kids.’ So it was just interesting to read how much she impacted everybody, and everybody’s comments.”
Asked what her secret is to touching so many hearts in her 26 years on the job, Sonnenberg spoke of the joy her interactions bring her.
“I really love learning about my customers, basically people, and their lives and their families. And when they come to eat, I always contact their eyes and try to know about them,” Sonnenberg said.
DeAndreah and Rosalind Threatt said, though the money they raised is to thank Sonnenberg in general, they hope it will help contribute toward a happy retirement one day.
