KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A family enjoying dinner at the Texas Roadhouse in Turkey Creek said they discovered a new joy in communicating with people after a positive experience with their server last week.
Ashlyn Walker-Postlewait is a server at the restaurant and was waiting at the family's table that night. They soon learned something about their server as they sat down and saw a note with a marker: she was deaf.
The family was presented with a note on how to communicate their order, asking them to circle things with a dry erase menu and to write out instructions and requests.
"Y’all, my heart exploded. I have never seen anything like this at any restaurant I have eaten at," Jylian Abercrombie said in a Facebook post on Friday. "Hats off to Texas Roadhouse because she was one of the best servers we ever had."
The post received a massive amount of positive feedback, surprising both Jylian and Ashlyn.
The two met again on Tuesday to communicate one-on-one about how the experience impacted them.
"So I was, of course, a little nervous about serving. Nervous about what people thought about me. I mean serving is with a lot of people, and I was surprised at all the people that gave me praise," Ashlyn said.
In a Facebook post on Monday, Ashlyn shared her story about her struggles in life trying to communicate with others, saying she wished she could hear and use her voice. She said her recent experiences as a server have left her with the feeling that something amazing is about to happen.
"I had tears in my eyes. I’m happy that I have found the right place to work at that will always remind me that I’m loved and that I have found happiness. I will always hate my deafness but I’m blessed with my new life right now and am trying to work on accepting my deafness and loving myself this year," she said.