DALLAS - Service with a smile, it's a motto we've all heard. But, for waiters and waitresses who get sick, financial disaster often looms. That could soon change for those in the industry in North Texas.
It all grew from the struggles of one former Terilli's employee who lost her husband to cancer and another waitress fighting to survive.
Like many musicians and artists, Julia Troute makes her money waiting tables. Now, from her East Dallas home, she's also starting a non-profit to benefit others in the arts and service industry, like waitress Kaati Brehm.
Brehm works at the Dragonfly restaurant at Hotel ZaZa while fighting stage IV cervical cancer.
"I told my doctor that I wanted to hear the bad news and she said I could be dead in six weeks," she said.
She's beating the odds, but saddled with $15,000 in medical debt. Yet, Brehm is one of the lucky ones. The hotel offers insurance. For many in the service industry, there are no benefits or sick leave.
Troute set up a site to help Brehm and has held several fundraisers to help pay her medical bills. Before that, Troute did the same for Lindsay Rogers, the former employee of Terilli's, which was destroyed in a fire. Rogers lost her husband to cancer.
Now, Troute and her sister, Marie Troute, have taken the next step.
"We are doing fundraising on every level we can think of," Troute said. "It's called The Servers Well, and we are literally trying to fill a well to support these people when bad things happen."
She's already gotten non-profit status from the state and is applying for the national version. She's also been collecting goods for the groups first garage sale.
"It's taken over my dining room," she said.
They expect, at first, to depend on other servers to donate. But, they would also appreciate a little help from the people they serve.
"To say that these people have been bringing us drinks and food for however many years, we want in turn to take care of them and help them," Troute said. "I think it would be great to do that. I would be really happy."
Just think of it as the ultimate tip.
