(CBS News) For the past 11 years, Joe Thomas has walked into work at IHOP in Springfield, Illinois, with a spring in his step and a smile on his face.
He knows all of his “regulars” by name, and since the 43-year-old waiter doesn’t have any children of his own, he treats any little ones that come into the restaurant like relatives. It’s something customers have come to expect.
“I love the people,” Thomas told CBS News. “I just love my life, and I love the way I am.”