WICHITA, Kansas -- A tip left for a hard-working waiter has allowed the customer favorite to flash his new pearly whites. Brian Maixner spends his days and nights darting from table to table at the Doo-Dah Diner in downtown Wichita. While Maixner works hard, he has not been able to save up enough money to fix his teeth.
"It started out as I got a chipped tooth and it spread. And then after that I couldn't keep up with them and they were getting out of control pretty bad," he admitted. "I just try to smile through it and show people you know there is still good people no matter how bad they look. Appearances aren't always everything but they are (laughter)."
Maixner's personality and work ethic impresses many of his customers. Including, an attorney from Oklahoma who was in town to visit his daughter.
"I looked at this guy and I thought this guy, this guy is something special," attorney Fred Boettcher said. "No matter what religion you might be or whether you even believe in an after life the way to be satisfied in your life is to be kind to everybody and be as generous as you possibly can be!"
So Boettcher spoke with Maixner's boss and offered to pay for his waiter's dental procedure.
"She came and pulled me off line which is kind of weird for a Saturday if they're pulling you off line you're usually in trouble and she was like no no no don't worry it's good it's good (laughter)," Maixner recalled.
"He was trying to serve and he was crying and he couldn't stop crying and he said I'm sorry I'm trying to serve your food," Boettcher's daughter Meredith said.
One month later, Maixner is serving food with a brighter smile
"Whenever I go to the bathroom I gotta stop and look," he said with a grin. "It's the biggest tip I've received in my whole life of waiting tables."
