Long-time employee retires after 34 years at Pizza Hut

JOLIET – More than 20 years ago, store manager Greg Stewart was driving to the Jefferson Street Pizza Hut through blizzard-like conditions to open the restaurant on time for the day.

But when he arrived, he already saw big footprints in the snow leading up to the entrance of the Pizza Hut. He opened the door to find employee and Rockdale resident George Bertucci already had prepared everything.

“To me, that was remarkable,” said Stewart, now a regional manager for Chicago and Peoria. “That was George in a nutshell. He walked miles in the snow from Rockdale for the customers. He would do anything for you or anybody.”

Bertucci, a long-time employee for Pizza Hut and local, lovable icon, officially retired Feb. 8 after 34 years working in the same restaurant.

“He represents what employees should be today,” Stewart said, adding that he has known Bertucci for most of his career. “We’ve kind of lost that in this world. I think that’s what people will miss.”

Bertucci, 62, has dealt with developmental disabilities his whole life in addition to untimely deaths in his family. But he still kept his job for three decades and has always found solace serving customers.

“I’ve been in the same location all my life,” Bertucci said. “It’s like a second home to me.”

After much of Bertucci’s family died by the 1990s, including his parents and several siblings, customers became a point of living for him.

He even suggested to management that the restaurant should create and hang a plaque thanking customers for their business.

To employees, Bertucci is that pizza chef who smiles and greets every customer, no matter the situation. He relished the opportunity to serve every person who opened the front doors. And he helped out employees, too.

“George is a big guy, but he’s got the heart of a kitten,” said Jeremy Kolodziej, store manager for the Pizza Hut. “This is a real smart guy that would do anything for everybody.”

Kolodziej said customers would often strike up a conversation with Bertucci, and if he wasn’t there, they would ask about him.

“George is loved around this town,” said coworker Lori Lake, a neighbor who drove Bertucci to and from work almost every day for the past 11 years. “He never missed a day from work unless it was an absolute emergency. He put everyone ahead of himself.”

Bertucci doesn’t plan to work after he retires, but he wants to spend more time with his nephews and nieces, who have supported him.

“I just want to say thank you to all of them,” Bertucci said. “Customers are No 1. I thank the employees. I also say thank you to the main office in Dallas, Texas. This job made me grow up so fast.”

Bertucci said he’s going to miss the smiles that light up on children’s faces when they see their pizza.

“I’ll miss it a lot, especially customers when they come in,” Bertucci said. “But it’s time for the young people to take over. Kids today need jobs, too.

“My mom had a saying: ‘Be nice to people, and people be nice to you back.’ ”

Bertucci’s extended family and work supported him through tough times and helped him work through some developmental disability, including a slowed speech.

But support services exist to help mentally and physically-challenged individuals find work.

“People with disabilities just have different challenges,” said Matthew Lanoue, coordinator of public relations at Cornerstone Services Inc., a state-funded organization that helps disabled individuals find work and sustainable housing. “With the right kind of support, they can do many, many things other people can do.”

Cornerstone lines up disabled job seekers with employers. And while Lanoue noted several barriers exist, businesses open up considerably after being convinced of the impact disabled workers can have on the workplace.

“Many of these people represent their employers well and take great pride in their job,” Lanoue said, adding that employers save costs in training more short-term employees. “They’re often more reliable than other workers because they stay longer and do good work.”