Cheryl, the Mom of Poughkeepsie IHOP for 27 years

Hello, our names are Kellie Jones and Danielle Yaw and we are reaching out to help our friend, and former coworker, Cheryl Roberts.

On April 14th the IHOP Poughkeepsie location shut its doors for good, giving us only a few days to wrap our heads around it as we were only told the Monday prior to that closing date. We were all a bit shocked, and taken aback, but every single employee voiced, "Well, what about Cheryl?"

Ya see Cheryl's story is not your average, she worked for IHOP for a whopping 27 years. If you ever went into IHOP in Poughkeepsie at some point in your life, I'm sure she's probably waited on you with a smile on her face, or sharing some cheesy joke we'd make fun of her for cracking. She was a Mom to all of us. If you need a bandaid, ask Cheryl. If you needed Tylenol, ask Cheryl. Under the weather? Cheryl will make you tea with lemon and honey. Have questions about IHOP? Go to Cheryl.

She had more regulars than we could ever imagine counting over the years, she watched families grow for close to three decades. She knew her guests' orders better than them, memorized them; exactly how they prefer their eggs, knew the diabetics who needed sugar-free syrup, the people allergic to gluten, no matter the request Cheryl remembered, with kindness and a smile. At Christmas time the guys across the street selling trees would religiously come to eat in Cheryl's section for years and years. She was that type of woman and server. She'd make people feel like the most important guest in the building.

Cheryl barely missed a day of work in her 27 years. She was there at 6 am on the dot ready to open the doors for the other staff. Reliable isn't even the word, she was an IHOP institution. Years ago, as she cared for her sick son, she still came to work, even after his passing while she was nursing a devastated heart. When Covid hit, instead of going home and collecting unemployment, Cheryl stayed and worked, even when she, herself, was fearful of getting sick. Her dedication has always been unmatched. She stuck through with her masks and gloves and 20 different varieties of hand sanitizer. lol. She helped IHOP push through that unpredictable and devastating time.

After 27 years it would incredible if this remarkable, hard-working, kind, salt-of-the-earth woman can catch some time to take a breather, mentally, emotionally, and financially. She also has pets at home who she loves (when they aren't making her crazy like her featherless rescue bird who will sometimes curse her out when he doesn't get his way lol) and takes such good care of them and her family.

Even if you don't know her personally, you're likely seeing this because someone you know cares for Cheryl and we are dedicated to sharing this as far and wide as we can. Please help us in celebrating the years of Cheryl's IHOP service. We appreciate any help, and we know this financial climate is hard for all, so if you can't donate, please share and keep her story going!

Thank you all for taking the time to read this!

God Bless, Kellie and Danielle