Matt Staines has been working at Chili’s for more than twenty years, but if you ask him about his ambitions, he isn’t interested in talking about retirement.
He’s thinking bigger than that.
“Maybe running for president one day,” he said with a grin.
It wasn’t the first unexpected answer he gave. Earlier in the conversation, when asked what he hoped to accomplish when he first entered Judson Center’s Supported Employment program, he deadpanned, “World domination.”
The jokes come easily. So does the laughter.
Sitting in the restaurant where he has spent the last two decades, Matt filled hundreds of small condiment containers while answering questions. He never stopped working. Somehow, he managed to carry on a conversation, crack jokes, and stay focused on the task in front of him all at once.
The work is repetitive. Every day, he fills row after row of condiment containers, often preparing more than 200 before his shift is over. Before that, he polished menus, checked tables before opening, and handled other responsibilities around the restaurant.
For some people, those kinds of routines might become tedious.
Matt sees it differently.
“I just want to do what they tell me to do and get paid,” he said matter-of-factly.
Then he smiled.
After twenty years, it’s hard to argue with the strategy.
“It has changed my whole outlook on life. Because I feel wanted and needed here.”
Building a Career Through Supported Employment
Long before Chili’s, Matt had already developed a strong work ethic. He delivered newspapers as a kid, worked at a golf course, and later spent time at Walmart. But this job became something different.
This became home.
In fact, Matt has worked at the restaurant so long that he has outlasted nearly everyone around him. Managers have changed. Staff members have come and gone. Entire teams have turned over.
Matt stayed.
When that reality was pointed out during the interview, he seemed quietly proud of it.
He should be.
Twenty years is a remarkable accomplishment in any profession. In the restaurant industry, it’s almost unheard of.
Part of that success has come from the support system around him.
For years, Judson Center job coaches have worked alongside Matt, helping him navigate challenges and maintain the stability. One of those job coaches is Evelina Arnold, who has known Matt for years and now works with him regularly.
The two clearly enjoy each other’s company.
Matt described their relationship as being “like family,” and throughout the interview it was easy to see why. Their conversations bounced effortlessly between teasing jokes and genuine appreciation.
One of Matt’s favorite traditions happens every Monday.
He has lunch at the restaurant and always extends an invitation to his job coaches. Their schedules don’t always allow them to join him, but when they can, those lunches mean a lot.
“It means a whole lot,” he said.
The answer was simple and sincere.
More Than a Job
The longer the conversation went on, the more apparent it became that Matt doesn’t define his job by the tasks he performs. He defines it by the people connected to it.
When asked what he enjoys most about working at Chili’s, he didn’t mention the employee discount, though he admitted he enjoys that. He didn’t mention the paycheck either.
Instead, he talked about the people he works with.
“They treat me well here.”
For Matt, that matters.
And perhaps that’s why his answer to one question stood out above all the others.
Finding a Place to Belong
After discussing schedules, responsibilities, and twenty years of employment, he was asked how having a job had changed his life.
The joking stopped.
For a moment, he became reflective.
“It has changed my whole outlook on life,” he said.
Then he explained why.
“Because I feel wanted and needed here.”
There was no elaborate speech after that. There didn’t need to be.
The statement carried the weight of two decades spent contributing, building relationships, and becoming part of a workplace community.
Employment has provided Matt with a paycheck, certainly. It has helped him maintain independence and stability. Judson Center’s Supported Employment program has played an important role in helping him keep both his job and his benefits over the years.
But listening to Matt talk about his life, it becomes clear that the greatest value can’t be measured on a pay stub.
It’s found in the pride he takes in showing up every day.
It’s found in the coworkers who know him.
It’s found in the lunches shared with people who have supported him along the way.
And it’s found in knowing that when he walks through the doors each morning, he isn’t just filling condiment containers.
He’s part of the team.
After twenty years, that’s still something worth looking forward to.
In fact, near the end of the interview, Matt mentioned the 23-mile drive he makes to work.
“I look forward to driving these 23 miles out here every morning.”
For most people, that’s a long commute.
For Matt, it’s the road to a place where he belongs.