82-летний владелец ресторана в Вермонте продолжает благословлять гостей и работать на кассе

Business and blessings: Vermont Super Senior’s sweet success WEST RUTLAND, Vt. (WCAX) - When you enter Sweet Caroline’s Restaurant in West Rutland, you’ll be treated to good food and a prayer from owner Don Woods. “Thank you and God bless, hon,” Woods said to a customer. Reporter Joe Carroll: So God bless is a word you use often. Don Woods: Everybody, everybody that comes out of here, I bless them. But you know what? I make out on that because I’m just giving one blessing; everybody’s blessing me back. “Donny is one of the sweetest, nicest men I’ve ever met,” Randy Felion said. Peggy Clark has worked in the kitchen for 15 years. “Always wants to make sure everybody is OK,” she said. Just not in the kitchen, which may be a blessing. “He has not cooked since I’ve known him,” Clark said. “I tell you, I don’t do much at all, except talk, and I stand at the register a lot and collect the cash,” Woods said. He says he enjoys every minute at the restaurant. However, there have been challenges; the first few years were lean on customers and cash. “I had a rude awakening when I opened up the restaurant,” Woods admitted. “It was, it was, believe me. And no experience or nothing, I had no clue.” He started the business when most people are thinking of retiring-- at 62. It was his wife, Caroline, who encouraged him not to give up. “She kept me going. She kept saying, Donny, you’re not going to get your money back, you know, if you quit,” Woods recalled. He says the restaurant is now doing well. Sadly, Caroline died of cancer years ago. “That was a tough time to go through,” he said. “She never complained right up to the end. She smiled right up until the end.” Don Woods is now 82 and has remarried. “He’s always looking out for the family,” said his wife, Marie Pieratti-Woods. “He’s always looking out for me.” He readily admits he’s slowing down. Joe Carroll: Except your mouth is still working. Don Woods: Oh, yeah. That works good. That works good, Joe. They say talk is cheap, but what Woods says is what he means. “Because he cares,” Clark said. “I only worked one other place where it’s like a family, but here it’s even more so,” said Sam Hale, an employee at Sweet Caroline’s. “I’ll bless you on the way out, my friend,” Woods said. “If it helps you or not, I don’t know.” Copyright 2026 WCAX. All rights reserved.