Jamestown Chamber honors Shady’s Restaurant worker for customer service

Darby Wohl has become part of the reason people return to Shady’s Restaurant in downtown Jamestown. On May 8, the Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce recognized that kind of steady, personal service with its monthly Customer Service Award, putting a local front-line hospitality worker in the spotlight.

Members of the Chamber Ambassador Committee and chamber staff presented the award to Wohl, who works at Shady’s Restaurant inside the Gladstone Inn & Suites. His nomination said he knows customers by name and sometimes knows what they like to order, the sort of memory that turns an ordinary meal into a familiar routine for regulars. The nomination also called him “a fixture at Shady’s,” crediting him with respect, humor and friendliness that help set the tone for the room.

That matters in Jamestown’s restaurant economy because repeat business is built on moments like those. A server who recognizes a returning customer can influence whether a family makes Shady’s a habit, whether travelers stop in again when they come back through town, and whether downtown dining feels connected to the community instead of interchangeable. Shady’s, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, sits inside a hotel that draws both local patrons and overnight guests, making service a direct part of how local dollars circulate.

The Chamber said its Ambassadors serve as its public relations arm and handle ribbon cuttings, customer service award presentations and business-of-the-month presentations. The award is part of a larger nominations program meant to honor people and businesses that go beyond expectations, and the Chamber said nominations can be made at its office, through its website or by calling 701-252-4830.

The customer service recognition also fits into a broader Chamber tradition. Its annual awards banquet recognizes Customer Service Award recipients alongside Business of the Month winners and major honors such as Business of the Year, Citizen of the Year and Young Professional of the Year. Recent customer service awards have also gone to workers at Jerry’s Furniture, Gate City Bank, Walmart, the Jamestown Post Office, Eckman’s Auto Service and BeMobile Jamestown, underscoring how the Chamber uses the program to spotlight service across the local economy.

For Stutsman County residents, Wohl’s award is a reminder that the success of places like Shady’s is often built one order, one conversation and one familiar greeting at a time.