Poignant Post About Young Restaurant Employee Goes Viral (Photo)
By Dreamer
A customer reported a Tennessee restaurant to local health inspectors after discovering its owner has Down Syndrome.
Andrew Ankar has worked at Ankar's Hoagies in Chattanooga, Tennessee, since graduating high school in 2013.
According to Judy Ankar, Andrew's mother, the customer who reported the restaurant to local health inspectors said "there was an unauthorized person in the kitchen that shouldn't be around the food prep area," according to WTVC.
Yet a health inspector's report from May 4 did not find any violations.
Now, many are outraged after Andrew's brother, Alex, publicly wrote about the incident on Facebook on May 5.
“When I learned that someone had the audacity to file a report with the local health inspector over an adult with Down syndrome being in the kitchen of a restaurant that he is not just employed at, but that he owns, I was floored,” wrote Alex, who also manages the restaurant with his brother.
Alex's post describes Andrew as hardworking despite his disabilities and personal tragedies:
Ever since my dad passed away, my little bro has been working day in and day out at Ankar's Hoagies to ensure that my father's legacy keeps going strong. From greeting customers to cleaning the dining room to working the grill, Andrew works tirelessly to make sure our business is a success - and he does it all with a smile on his face.
Yet even though Andrew has been through so much, he has miraculously managed to maintain a good attitude:
Sometimes I sit back and marvel at Andrew's ability to love everyone... even people who aren't deserving of his kindness. He knows no hate. If the people out there who constantly ridicule people with disabilities had even half of Andrew's capability to love EVERYONE, this world would be a better place.
I challenge every single person who reads this to take a minute to put all differences aside. Whether it's ability, race, sexual orientation, religion, whatever - try to put your differences aside and love one another. Trust me, the world would be a much better place if everyone had Andrew's ability. He's not the disabled one, we are. Love you, kid.
Since Alex wrote the post, 27,000 people have liked it and it has been shared more than 13,000 times.
Sources: WTVC, Alex Ankar/Facebook / Photo credit: Alex Ankar/Facebook
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