Order a sandwich at Urban Olive & Vine in Hudson, Wisc., and there’s a good chance it’ll be made by a teenager. Odds are, it’ll be delivered to your table by a teen, too. Owners Chad and Carol Trainor hired the teens, but little did they know the teens would end up saving their business. Last fall, Carol collapsed on the floor and had a grand mal seizure. She would spend the next eight months in the hospital in Minneapolis, mostly in a coma, with Chad at her bedside. He considered closing the restaurant, but then his teenage employees stepped in and volunteered to keep it going. For eight months, they essentially ran Urban Olive & Vine. One of those workers, 17-year-old Acacia Kunkle, started arriving at 5:30 a.m. to prep for the day’s opening. Meanwhile, 15-year-old Joe Stephenson prepped food at the counter. Both Acacia and Joe were among the homeschoolers who kept things going during the day, while the public school kids were in class. Everyone took on new roles. Teens trained each other, came up with daily specials, and watered Carol’s plants. As for the shopping, most of it was done by 16-year-old Lainey Dombrovski, while 17-year-old Tori Manikowski took care of the office work. Chad would stop by the restaurant each morning at 4 a.m. to do schedules before leaving to sit with Carol. “It’s a family here,” said 18-year-old Lilly Benzer. That’s the way Carol and Chad wanted it. Unfortunately, Carol never made it back to Urban Olive & Vine. She died in the hospital at the age of 58. Chad closed the restaurant so employees could attend Carol’s funeral. Then the teens got back to work. “Without them, the restaurant wouldn’t exist,” said Chad. “These kids became adults and ran our business and took care of me. I love them like they’re my own kids.”
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| Carol and Chad Trainor |
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| Acacia Kunkle doing morning prep |
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| Lilly Benzer doing prep work |
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| Tori Manikowski managing the office |
