Diners pin 'Favorite' to king of the drive-through window

By Joe

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

01/09/2006

Jamie works at the drive-thru lane at the McDonald's.

(Robert /P-D)

Here is the story.

Whatever it is, pin it on Jamie.

With a steady supply of willing donors streaming by his drive-through

window at the McDonald's in Ellisville, Jamie has collected thousands of

pins. And on any given day, he will have two or three dozen - at least -

attached to his hat and uniform tie.

"People are so wonderful to me," said Jamie, 35, who has become a customer

favorite at the store over the past 13 years.

Jamie is profoundly deaf and knows sign language, but he speaks clearly

after years of working diligently at it.

"Outside of my mom and dad - and I love them a lot - my customers are my

favorite people. I get up in the morning to come to work, and I think about

them," he said. "They make me smile."

Tony , manager of the "Lakes" McDonald's at Big Bend and Dougherty

Ferry roads, used to work at the Ellisville store. One recent day, he

brought a pin to Jamie commemorating the Lakes' re-opening.

( He Now Works At Weldon Springs )

"Jamie is a great guy," Tony said. "When I used to work here, I knew if I

came in and Jamie was working, I'd have a great day. He's always smiling,

and he just makes you laugh."

That infectious good humor may be one reason several managers pick up

Jamie once a month and take him to the movies - "I love movies. One of my

e-mail addresses is 'moviefreak' " - or to Cardinals games in the summer.

Another reason managers love him is that he is an ideal employee. He works

about three days a week and, while the exact shift changes, he is usually

on duty for the lunch rush.

"But if they ever need anybody to fill in, I'll come in because I love my

customers," he said.

Ellisville store manager Chris said Jamie is always on time,

always ready to work hard and always in a good mood.

"And he's quite popular with the older ladies who come in the morning," she

said with a wink. "He's always refilling their coffee. And when he's got

the day off, they're always asking 'Where's Jamie?'

"We joke that every senior citizen in Ellisville is his grandmother or grandfather."

His father and mother, Jim and Sharon , live in St.Louis. Jamie

also have a grown Sister, Julie. Jim owns Frames Shops of St. Louis in

Manchester and Kirkwood. Sharon raises, trains and shows quarter horses.

"I love the horses," Jamie said. "We have two right now, Daisy and

Belle. I help my mom exercise them and clean out the stalls."

Jamie used to ride frequently but has taken a break from that pursuit

since he was thrown off several years ago.

"One day I might get back on a horse," he said. "But not yet."

Not riding horses leaves Jamie more time for working, watching movies and,

of course, collecting pins.

"I really don't know how many I have," he said, as he showed two baseball

caps that easily weighed 10 pounds each because they were encrusted with

several hundred pins apiece.

"At home, I have hats with just baseball pins, a hat with just football

pins," he said, and smiled. "I got a lot of pins."

Jamie was born in Cincinnati, and his parents moved to St. Louis when he

was less than 2 years old so he could attend the Central Institute for the

Deaf. He graduated from the institute and then took some food service

courses at West County Technical High School.

"That's how I got a job at McDonald's," he said. "First, I worked two years

at the store on Wiedman Road, and I've been here at Ellisville for 13

years."

Late last year, store managers at Ellisville put a big card on the counter

to commemorate Jamie's 15th anniversary with McDonald's.

"And all my customers signed it," he said, with obvious pride. "And now

it's hanging on my wall in my room at home. I love my customers."

One of those customers is Sandy , who has been coming to the

Ellisville store for about 12 years.

"He's always wearing those pins and smiling and joking around," Sandy

said. "And when my kids were little, he'd always wave to them and make sure

their Happy Meal toys were in" (the bag), she said.

"What else can you say? He's just a sweet guy."

( Notes – I edited some of the words cause there were last names so I removed them for my own safety )

( I also wanted to add this on the Newspaper = Thanks to everyone who has given me Pins from the past year and I am very please with all of my Customers )