Junior Calla Hamlin put on her black visor and yellow shirt as she prepared to go to work, just as she always did. But as she got in her car and cranked the engine, something was different.

She was nervous. Today she wouldn’t just be taking orders, or just assembling Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. Or just making fresh-cut French fries from the metal bin of raw potatoes behind the front counter.

Today she would be doing all of those things for the former President of the United States.

When Hamlin was interviewing for her job at Penn Station East Coast Subs in Flower Mound over the summer, the hiring manager told her that President George Bush was an investor in the Penn Station franchise. According to Hamlin, when a former spokesman from Bush’s time in the White House decided to bring the first Penn Station franchise to Texas, Bush became a co-owner.

But Hamlin hadn’t thought too much of it at the time. She was just focused on landing her first job. She had some free time from school and JV soccer and wanted to make some extra money. She hoped to mature through her job, just as her older brother had done when he was her age.

“You really have to learn how to treat people because sometimes you’ll get a really rude customer,” Hamlin said. “You still have to put a smile on your face and be nice to them.”

After all, she would likely never actually see Bush. As a well-known public figure, he likely wouldn’t be involved in the everyday operations of the fast food chain. Her boss’s comment during her interview was perhaps just a ploy to get her to take the job.

But after five months of working at Penn Station, her chance finally came. Her boss invited her to a special event at the store’s Southlake location, where Bush was scheduled to make an appearance later in the day. Hamlin went to school for first and second period, then left for work. As she walked out to her car, the nerves began to mount.

“I told my friends, ‘Hey, I’m going to go meet George Bush and you have to sit through pre-cal,’” Hamlin said.

She drove to Southlake, one of the three Penn Station locations in Texas. Bush was going to be meeting with some local officials and was answering questions from a high school honor society in the area. As Hamlin walked in the front door, she was met with the aroma of hot sandwiches on the grill. She was immediately engulfed in a sea of customers, all dressed in their best attire. She could barely make her way behind the counter as she squeezed through the crowd of people standing shoulder-to- shoulder in the restaurant.

Once on the clock, she took hundreds of orders from the President’s guests. Every now and then she would catch a glimpse of Bush or overhear him talking to some students or businessmen. Eventually, a swarm of men in black suits made their way toward the cash register. The Secret Service. It wasn’t until Bush was standing right across the counter from Hamlin that her nerves reached a climax.

Any miscue on the cash register or in the sandwich assembly line could send out a bad meal to the former Commander-in-Chief.
If there was ever a customer to impress, this was him.

“You’re just in awe,” Hamlin said. “There’s just so much respect for him. You’re speechless honestly.”

Hamlin’s fingers pressed nervously on the cash register as Bush ordered an eight-inch Philly cheesesteak with mayonnaise, onions and banana peppers, a medium lemonade and a small French fry. She had taken hundreds of orders in her five months on the job, but this was one she would never forget.

“It’s so unreal,” Hamlin said. “It’s like, ‘You’re a real person? You have to eat food, too? You’re kidding.’”

After her brief encounter with the President, Hamlin and her coworkers prepared food for him and the other guests. Hamlin’s coworker, Flower Mound sophomore Sam Lawrence, wrapped the sandwich and took it out to him. Above all, she said she was surprised by how laid-back he was.

“He’s really friendly,” Lawrence said. “He’s really appreciative. He called all of us by name.”

Afterwards, Hamlin and the other employees tried to look busy, cleaning a speck here or washing a dish there. But really all they could focus on was listening to the conversations between Bush and the other people there. When the President was in the building, work was forgotten and all the attention was on him.

“I don’t care what you say about the President, if you don’t like him or whatever,” Hamlin said. “When you see him in person, you’re just like, ‘Oh my God. It’s the President!’”

Although they weren’t allowed to take pictures with Bush, there was a professional photographer there to capture the moment. And it wasn’t the last of him that Hamlin and Lawrence would see either. They would meet him for a second time, this time at the Flower Mound location on 2499.

Hamlin was able to capture a selfie with the President and prepare his chicken salad sandwich, as well as those of the Secret Service. She was even able to have a brief conversation with him about his presidency and get a hug. Lawrence snapped a selfie with Bush too, posting it on Twitter and receiving around 500 favorites and 60 retweets.

“I was nervous of what to do, but he’s just an average man,” Lawrence said. “He’s cool.”

Looking back, Hamlin still regards the experience as one of the best in her life. Although she hasn’t added the meeting to her resume yet, it is certainly a good conversation-starter. After taking his order, making his food, having a conversation, taking a picture and embracing in a hug with the former leader of the nation, Hamlin said she was inspired by Bush pursue the goals she has in her own life.

“It’s so humbling to see someone who has accomplished so much,” Hamlin said. “It makes you want to go out and be President one day.”