Employee of the Month brings food and family to the table

The Rockford Cafe is eerily quiet these days, with no men shaking dice or women chatting over coffee, attempting to solve all the world's problems.

However, the cook is still in the kitchen, sending hot food through the window for customers to pick up. And at the front counter, Tuesday was Tiffany (Richter) Schaefer, the third person in her family at the Rockford Cafe to earn the Employee of the Month award.

Tiffany started working at the cafe when she was just 7 years old, a young girl at the sink doing dishes for her mom and aunt. A few years later, she waited on her first customer, Greg Klocke. She remembers it like it was yesterday, as he sat at the very same front counter that is now empty of customers due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Even though Gov. Bur- gum has closed restaurants to dine-in business for the time being, the café still offers their full menu for take-out daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. with daily specials and a home-cooked Sunday lunch special. Trays of caramel rolls and cookies line the counter now, waiting for customers to snatch them up for a sweet treat.

"We're definitely lucky because we can still do this," Tiffany says, referring to the fact that they are still at work preparing meals to go for families in the area.

"That's their outing for the week," she says of some of her customers, who order burgers to go when they need a break from cooking every meal for their family. She recognizes many of them by their voice when they call in their orders, because she's known them nearly her whole life.

"I grew up in here," Tiffany reflected as she packed up an order on Tuesday. "The same people I wait on now, I waited on as a kid. They just become your family."

Tiffany was nominated by Karla Jacobson, who said, "Tiffany goes out of her way to make everything she does a wonderful experience for the customers. (She) always knows what to say to put a smile on someone else's face."

Tiffany hasn't always worked at the cafe. After her oldest son Connor was born, she was employed full time as a licensed insurance agent, first with Morgan Lies at Central Agency and then at Insure Forward. She went back to the cafe in 2017 to again work beside her mom and aunt, both who have already received this award. It's all about family taking care of family, and that's what they will continue to do as long as they are able.

Call (701) 947-5624 to place an order for pick up. And when the restrictions are lifted, they'll once again be filled with the sound of dice hitting the table, of families enjoying a meal around the table, and friends laughing over pie and coffee.

Have you experienced great customer service from an employee of a local business? If so, please consider nominating that person for this award. Nomination cards and forms are available in the table tents and on bulletin boards at local businesses. Forms can also be printed from the organization's webpage, www. cityofnewrockford.com/ chamber. Nominations are also accepted via email to newrockfordchamber@gmail. com. One person receives the award each month.