Brian Maixner, a waiter from Doo-Dah Diner in Wichita, Kansas has several missing teeth and suffers from tooth decay. The single father would love nothing more than to have his teeth repaired, but sadly cannot afford any dental work. Still, Maixner goes to work happily each day and never fails to flash customers with a big smile.
Timirie Shibley, who owns the diner with her husband, told Today that Maixner is one of their best workers. "He's one of those employees you wish you had six of," Shibley said. "His whole mission is to please people as quickly as possible and he laughs along the way. He's a very hard worker."
Shibley is not the only one to notice Maixner's cheerful persona and dedication to the job. In fact, when Attorney Fred Boettcher and his family ate breakfast at the diner one Saturday last January, he was so impressed with Maixner that he left a huge tip for the waiter - specifically, $1,000 so that Maixner could get his teeth fixed.
"He was just so gregarious—it was unusual, even for a waiter," said Boettcher. "He has a smile that was from ear to ear. But you should have seen his teeth, they were horrible. It just struck me."
So the kind-hearted attorney approached Shibley at the hostess stand and asked if Maixner would be offended if he offered to pay for his dental work.
"Needless to say, I was floored. I immediately accepted on Brian's behalf," Shibley said. When she told Maixner about the offer, they began crying.
"I was in shock. I was trying to wait on their table, but I was crying a bit," said Maixner.
The waiter went to see Boettcher's dentist and had his teeth looked at. And though he still has more procedures to go through, Maixner already feels like a new man.
"Oh my gosh, I just keep staring in the mirror and going, 'Wow,'" he said. "It just makes such a huge difference. Before, I was conscious about my smile, not that I could stop it. Even when my teeth were bad, I still smiled."
