Good Food, Good Times, Good Employment Practices: O’Charley’s

Meet Marty Mason, a Self Advocate that volunteers for Down Syndrome Indiana and is employed by O’Charley’s in Fishers, Indiana. I recently visited him and his manager to find out more about what Marty does there.

When I arrived at O’Charley’s, I found Marty working diligently at one of the booths in the restaurant. I asked him what he does and he explained that after he clocks in, he rolls the silverware, “1 knife, 2 forks” inside the napkins. He also polishes the silverware before he rolls it. He alternates between two stations doing both jobs on Monday and Friday mornings.
Next, I spoke with the General Manager of the restaurant, Jay Eicher. I asked him how he chose to hire Marty. He explained that originally he had worked with Noble to hire Marty. However, when Marty was no longer receiving support for employment services through Noble, O’Charley’s made the decision to retain Marty, where he has been employed for approximately two years. I then asked for some input on what it is like to work with Marty and the answers Jay gave are similar to what other employers say about working with individuals that have a disability. Jay said, “Marty has never missed a day of work unless there was a family function and it was pre-arranged”. He went on to say that Marty is very, “reliable”, “does a great job” and is, “a pleasure to have in the building”.

Jay expressed his gratitude for the, “huge effort put forth by the family” and their loyalty to O’Charley’s. They celebrate birthdays and special occasions there to show their support for including Marty in the O’Charley’s family.

Down Syndrome Indiana believes that individuals with Down syndrome are valuable employees who bring needed skills and talents to the workplace. Yet the unemployment rate for individuals with intellectual disabilities remains embarrassingly high. It is estimated that only 22% of individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities are employed.
Please encourage local employers like Jay Eicher and O’Charley’s to employ individuals with Down syndrome. You can send a thank you letter to Jay at:

O’Charley’s
c/o Jay Eicher, General Manager
11655 Fishers Corner Blvd.
Fishers, IN 46038

Before leaving, I asked Marty, “Do you love your job? He said, “YES! And today is payday!”. It was my payday too so I completely understood the enthusiasm.