Cousins honors local man for his culinary devotion
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Staff writer
In a small town like Burlington, the old line from “Cheers” – “Where everybody knows your name” – seems to ring true most days.
But for John Ackley, what started as a health-conscious habit change has turned into a daily routine that has lasted nearly a decade.
Back in 1998, Ackley – a long-time journalist and freelance writer – came back to the area to begin caring for his father, who was ill. During that time, Ackley began to run – both to get some time alone and to relieve stress.
It stands to reason, though, after a long run, that a person would be hungry. And that’s when Ackley discovered Cousins in Lake Geneva.
Ackley’s father died a year later, but a lifelong healthy eating habit was established. When Ackley married in 2002 and moved to Rochester, he began looking for a new place to eat.
A year later, the Cousins in Burlington opened – and for eight straight years, Ackley has been a customer each day and every day.
Last week, Cousins President and Chief Operating Officer Christine Specht-Palmert paid Ackley a visit – along with a few other special guests – to present a free lunch courtesy of storeowner A.J. Patel.
“It was great,” Ackley said. “I really hadn’t thought of it as a big deal, but it’s great.
“It was just a great experience.”
Specht-Palmert and Laura Krinke – a member of Zeppos and Associated, the PR firm that represents Cousins – set up the luncheon a few weeks ago after a customer appreciation day exposed Krinke to Ackley’s story.
Krinke spawned the idea then and there, but kept the true surprise to herself, telling Ackley, “Oh, I’ll be in the area, and I’d love to meet you.”
Of course, it was more than just Krinke meeting Ackley the morning of Nov. 10. Not only did Specht-Palmert join them, so did the marketing consultant for Cousins, Dawn Bores – who is the one who brought Ackley’s story to Krinke’s attention.
The group brought along a Cousins’ bobblehead – who is named Subby – along with a Cousins’ cloth bag, a gift card and a hooded sweatshirt.
“How many times do you find someone who eats at Cousins every day since, what, 2003?” asked Specht-Palmert.
It’s a good question, but not one Ackley says he’s thought much about. The desire to eat healthier turned into a comfortable environment where he got to know and make friends with the staff at Cousins.
Now it’s routine. He’s ordered just about every sub on Cousins’ menu (on every kind of bread), but two staples always appear – pickles and olives.
“They just seem to add a little something for me,” he said. “I think I’ve had just about every sub. I don’t know that I have a favorite. I like all of them.”
And after sitting down with a sub, a bag of Doritos and a coke day in and day out for eight years, Ackley said the store has a fan for life.
“That’s a safe assumption,” Ackley said.
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