Kaydence Griffin serves at the Pure + Simple station.
Chloe Ross | The Collegian

When it comes to the dining experiences of Hillsdale College, the slogan of the town holds true for both employees and patrons: “It’s the people.”

A strong culture focused on community and the attitude of the students makes the Knorr Family Dining Hall a enjoyable place to work.

Kelly Syllaba, a cashier who works during breakfast and lunch, said she has worked part time in Saga since 2019 and went full time in 2021. She said her experience working at Saga is more positive than her previous jobs in customer service.

“I’ve worked in a lot of places where you get a lot of angry customers,” Syllaba said. “And here, mostly, it’s very positive. I love seeing the smiles of the students and staff here. It’s just a much more positive work environment, and that makes coming here a lot nicer.”

Syllaba said coming to work is a joy because she loves seeing the students all day.

“It brings tears to my eyes how nice everyone is,” she said. “Everyone says, ‘How come you’re so positive?’ It’s because I just get these smiles back. It’s the love I feel for you guys, and that really makes my day.”

Syllaba said when things become slow in the dining hall, she usually cleans her station or tries to hop in the food service line to help out.

“I love how busy it is here and how busy it keeps me most of the time,” she said. “When it’s slow, I don’t like that very much because I get a little bored.”

Syllaba said her favorite part of her job is the encouragement and positivity from both the student body and her colleagues. She said on days when she’s been noticeably upset, several people have stopped to ask about her day or how they can pray for her.

“I feel very blessed to work here. I usually try to keep a smile on my face, a happy face. But, of course, there’s days where things go badly or I feel a little discouraged, and I’ve always felt lifted up by the students and staff here,” Syllaba said. “I love the faithfulness of the students and the staff here, and how they’re not ashamed to stand and pray with me up here in public.”

Syllaba isn’t the only one to have a positive outlook concerning the dining hall work culture.

Danielle Sparks, a foodservice worker, works at the Pure + Simple station that was added at the beginning of this year. She said she appreciates how open and friendly the students are when getting their food.

“They tell me when they’re having a bad day, they tell me when they’re having a good day, things that are going on in their life, like big football games or volleyball games,” Sparks said.

When asked what tips or tricks she had picked up working in food service, Sparks said that the thing that makes her life easier is being outgoing and willing to learn.

Sparks said she recognizes certain students and their orders and that the students make an effort to cheer her up on days when work or her personal life are not going well.

“One of the days I didn’t have a good day, and one of the students said, ‘It’s OK, smile. You’re always smiling, and you always make me smile. So I’m trying to make you smile,’” Sparks said.

This affirming relationship between the students and the staff is found in every area of the dining hall.

For Donna Thorton, a housekeeper who has fulfilled multiple roles in Saga over the course of five years, there’s nothing she would change about her job. Thorton maintains the dining room area, making sure that the eating areas are clean. She said she especially appreciates the kindness of the students she talks to and has become friends with some of them.

“I have a friend, Noah, and he really makes me feel special. He tells me what a great job I do. His comments make me enjoy it,” Thorton said. “It’s really nice. Because sometimes when you get a little bit older, you’re kind of nervous being around younger kids. But they are so friendly.”

Syllaba emphasized how much of a difference the community of Hillsdale College truly makes on her work day.

“The smiling faces of the students, the staff here — they are all such wonderful people,” Syllaba said. “It really gives me a lot of hope for our country with everyone that’s going to school here with how nice they are.”