'Everyone works well together': Students with autism help this Princeton restaurant
Zachary wasn’t happy when he started working at Salt Creek Grille in Princeton. The 20-year-old with autism “would grumble and make it obvious he didn’t want to go,” said Dr. Rachel Tait, Eden Autism's chief program officer.
“Now, he looks forward to going to work and he’s excited to put on that uniform and head over there.”
Plus, said Tyrone Burston, lead teacher at Eden Autism, Zachary has made friends at Salt Creek Grille.
“He does the work well and he likes doing the different types of work,” said Burston. “For students like him, working at Salt Creek Grille has been really rewarding because it opens up so many other job opportunities for him.”
Eden Autism provides education, employment training, residential services, and home-based services for children and adults with autism. It offers a school program for 3- to 21-year olds, job training for adolescents and adults, and residential services for adults.
For the last 12 years, Eden Autism students have worked at Salt Creek Grille for about five hours per week in a partnership between the nonprofit organization and the restaurant. The students help the restaurant prep for service by folding napkins, stocking the bar with ice, filling ramekins with sauces, rolling towels and aprons, and cutting vegetables.
“The students ... get to interface with their typical peers while growing and developing skills that will help them through adulthood," Tait said. "It gives them a greater sense of worth and opportunities to have typical experiences out in the community and working like anyone else would.”
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Through the Eden School’s Transition to Employment program, students learn skills for jobs in restaurants, offices, hospitality settings, retail businesses, and numerous other paid employment opportunities. That helps them to secure jobs once they graduate the program when they turn 21 or enter Eden’s Adult Services program.
About six students have secured jobs in restaurants after graduation, and two of them became regular employees at Salt Creek Grille. Eden Autism also partners with Wawa, Confectionately Yours in Franklin Park, Romeo's Restaurant & Pizza in Plainsboro, the Plainsboro Public Library, and the New Jersey Audubon.
“I wanted them to receive normal pay,” said Hugh Preece, president and operating partner of Salt Creek Grille. “Each pay period, these kids enjoy seeing the paper envelope with the check in it and their name on it and it gives them the confidence to work with other people and encouragement to do different tasks and succeed.”
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The students, Preece said, have been a huge help at Salt Creek Grille, especially during the post-pandemic labor shortage. It’s also been an educational experience for back-of-house staff, he said, adding that many are first-generation Americans who didn’t experience such diversity in their native countries.
Staff members still ask about two beloved former students, Sammy and Michelle, who worked at Salt Creek Grille years ago and still come to visit the restaurant and their old friends.
“Sammy was a character because he loved to sing and he loved Christmas so it didn’t matter what time of year it was, he would be singing Christmas carols,” said Preece. “It makes the staff smile and create a positive work environment.”
It also shares a greater message about the Salt Creek Grille community, Preece added.
“It shows me that we have the right people on payroll because they’re open-minded, willing to work with everyone and they treat everyone equally,” he said. “It’s refreshing because when I come home and I turn the news, it’s depressing, so I love seeing that we have this culture in our building where everyone works well together.”
Go: 1 Rockingham Row, Princeton; 609-419-4200, saltcreekgrille.com.
Contact: JIntersimone@MyCentralJersey.com
Jenna Intersimone has been a staff member at the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey since 2014, after becoming a blogger-turned-reporter following the creation of her award-winning travel blog. To get unlimited access to her stories about food, drink and fun, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Salt Creek Grille in Princeton NJ employs students with autism
