Last year we doled out endless and well-deserved praise for first responders, doctors, and health care workers, but I often don't think we gave enough credit to food service workers.

On July 5, Heavenly Pizza shop owner Josh Elchert held Employee Appreciation Day at his business.

Get our free mobile app

Instead of "telling" his employees he valued them, he "showed" them by taking all the sales generated that day and giving it back to the employees. Thanks to the community, the day resulted in $6,300 in sales and $1,200 in tips. Divided among the staff and the hours they worked, each employee made $78 per hour.

"Well, you guys are awesome!!!! Thanks to all of you, our employees had a huge day!!!" he wrote in a post on Facebook. "Better than I had hoped !!!! You can have the best pizza in the world," Elchert told CBS's  WTOL-TV. "If you have no one here to make it, it doesn't matter."

Elchert decided to hold an Employee Appreciation Day after being impressed by his employees' work ethic during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

"We've all seen the 'Help wanted' signs everywhere and we're not exempt of that. We've definitely been short-staffed, but we've always had the employees to operate at a sustainable level," he continued, before reiterating, "Every cent, all the tips, all the orders, anything that comes in today is going directly to the employees that work today."

Timmy Lemire, the assistant manager, was shocked by the outpouring of support.

Lemire also credited the leadership of Elchert and the close bond of his fellow employees for helping Heavenly Pizza get through the challenging days of the pandemic.

(MSN)

6 Foods Buffalonians Want To Claim As Their Own

Here are the most popular foods in American that people in Western New York would love to claim for Buffalo and the 716.

What Buffalo Restaurant Owners Want Customers to Know Before Going Out to Dinner

This week brought the alleviation of restrictions for bar and restaurant owners in Western New York. Before you head out to your favorite place, here's what you need to know beforehand.

Top 50 Summer Restaurants in Buffalo and Western New York

Check out some of the best spots for food and drinks this spring and summer across Western New York!

More From 106.5 WYRK