Not much happens for a short-order cook during the Wednesday night shift at a Waffle House.
Unless you are Brian Burgess. And it’s your birthday. And some of your favorite customers are Lipscomb students.
The Nashville man’s birthday was celebrated from 10 p.m. to midnight Nov. 7, with more than 60 college students doing the eating and partying.
Burgess had an unusual wish for his big day.
When typically everyone should be serving you on your birthday, his only wish was to serve as many people as he could.
A group of guys from Lipscomb make a late-night Waffle House run every week, and Burgess fixes their food each time. A few weeks earlier, the cook told the students of his birthday wish.
Senior Farron Sutherland was the mastermind behind the big bash. He made flyers, titling the event “Pack the House,” and hung them all over campus. A Facebook event page was created to spread the word to the whole student body.
“We just wanted to fulfill his wish and get as many people here as we could,” Sutherland said. “Our goal is to bless this guy who always serves us and make him feel loved.”
When the group started to arrive, the restaurant only had two occupants quietly sitting in a corner booth. Before long, there were students packed at each table while Burgess was put to work behind the counter.
The party would not have been complete without balloons flooding the restaurant, “Happy Birthday” on the jukebox and a chocolate cake and cupcakes.
Burgess had a humble but sincere smile the whole night and gave quiet nods of gratitude whenever he got the chance. The crowd, random diners and staff all joined in a round of singing before Burgess blew out his candles.
As each customer went to the register to pay, there was an old oatmeal canister with Burgess’s name on it where guests could give him extra large tips.