SALT LAKE CITY — When it comes to Christmas, some people make the holiday extra special — not by celebrating at home but by showing up to work. They’re the people working on Christmas.
While most alarms went off a little later this morning, the alarms of people working at Gallo Loco in West Valley City didn't.
“I told them 'Hey you know what, we had an amazing dinner and party last night, but we also want to feed the people that want to eat today,'" Alberto Tello, co-owner of Gallo Loco said.
Almost everyone on the clock at Gallo Loco knew today's shift was more about being together.
“My whole entire family is here," Tello said. "Right now, we have my uncle, my sister, my mother, and my wife.”
The family-run restaurant says this is their first Christmas without their dad, who passed away in November. After work, they'll go out for a family hike and honor his memory.
“My heart is broken, but my spirit is full of energy, and I want to be able to share what my father taught me," Kim Tello, a co-owner, said.
Across the valley, at Bambara, some were jazzed by the holiday rush.
“We’re really busy, but I’m happy to be here," Grace Jones, a server at the Salt Lake City restaurant, said. “I had a Christmas Eve celebration with my in-laws for dinner and after work I’ll be going to their house again for Christmas dinner.”
And others were missing family a little extra this Christmas. Jamayca Salenga is here while her family is in the Philippines.
“A little bit sad because I miss celebrating with my family," Salenga, a hostess at the restaurant said.
She said she will FaceTime her family in the Philippines and open gifts with her husband and in-laws after work.
Clocking in, giving back, and keeping the holiday alive.
"Merry Christmas, everyone!" Jones said.
