This 94-Year-Old Has Worked at Arby’s for 25 Years—And Has No Plans to Retire

For plenty of people, 25 years in one job would be a hell of a career; for Dorothy Bale, it’s her second act. The 94-year-old first start working at an Arby’s in Holladay, Utah, at the post-retirement age of 69. Last Friday, she celebrated her 25th anniversary working at that same location.

Salt Lake City’s Deseret News profiled Bale yesterday, and the stats are truly incredible. She was already honored by Arby’s CEO as the company’s oldest employee—back in 2014, over four years ago. And during her stint, she’s been through not only 21 different managers, but also two remodels of the store. Meanwhile, working at Arby’s is the second gig that Bale has held down for over 20 years. She spent the previous 23 years working as manager at her husband Dennis’s dental office until they retired in 1988. Sixteen months later, he died of a heart attack. But Dorothy decided she wanted to keep busy, so she asked for a job at the Arby’s just a mile from her house. “I would not like staying home at all,” she told The Salt Lake City Tribune.

To be fair, she isn’t working quite as hard as she used to. Though she started out at five days a week, nowadays, she only puts in three 4.5-hour lunch shifts on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Also potentially adding to her longevity: She doesn’t constantly eat Arby’s. She reportedly only opts to take home a reuben with extra sauerkraut about once a month.

As for what the future holds, Dorothy turns 95 in May, but says she has no plans to retire. “I'm just going to go as long as they'll let me,” she said according to the Deseret News. “I don't know what I'd do if I retired.”

Her manager, Cici Salvador agrees. “I get a lot of customers who come in when she’s not here, and it’s ‘Where’s Dorothy? Where’s Dorothy?’” said Salvador. “Even when it takes a little longer to take their order, they wait in line.”