CICERO, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) — At the intersection of Route 31 and Interstate 81, the Chick-fil-A in Cicero is known for more than its chicken sandwiches. It’s also known for the people who make the restaurant a community.
Jimmer Szatkowski has managed the Cicero Chick-fil-A since 2018. Five years ago, he was diagnosed with ALS, but he has continued to come to work every day since.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: His pleasure: How one Chick-fil-A manager inspires a community through ALS
Kaitlin Campbell: When you walk into the Szatkowski family home…
Betty Szatkowski: “They were like, ‘We’re in the front of this,’ and that’s them. So it’s a great… it’s a great, great, great front page.”
Campbell: You’re walking into Bills territory.
Jimmer Szatkowski: “It revolves.”
Campbell: For Jimmer Szatkowski, that loyalty started with football…
Jimmer Szatkowski: “Around football.”
Campbell: But it’s his wife, Betty, who has been his true teammate.
Jimmer Szatkowski: “For about five months…”
Campbell: Ever since he was diagnosed with ALS five years ago, she reads his lips to help carry the family’s spirit.
Jimmer Szatkowski: “I… had… a… very… difficult… childhood.”
Campbell: Which is why Jimmer never takes the small things for granted.
Jimmer Szatkowski: “Watching my kids have a great life is so rewarding.”
Campbell: And he teaches his kids the best lessons.
Jimmer Szatkowski: “Helping them become the best version of themselves.”
Campbell: Jimmer carries that same spirit with the other family he built — inside a fast-food restaurant. He opened the Chick-fil-A in Cicero in 2018, and nothing has stopped him from pursuing his passion for people.
Taylor Cannon: “I just hope to be like Jimmer someday.”
Campbell: It’s a place where people come to be fed — in more ways than one. Opened three years before his diagnosis, with a spirit that never wavered.
Cannon: “Just knowing that there’s someone in your corner is always a good thing to have.”
Campbell: The CDC says 5,000 people are diagnosed each year. Betty remembers that moment.
Betty Szatkowski: “It is a devastating word to hear… or I should say three letters from a doctor.”
Campbell: But from the start, they’ve faced it together.
Betty Szatkowski: “We just tried to be as truthful and as factual as we could be, but also know that we’re not going anywhere — that their father’s not going anywhere.”
Campbell: And Jimmer has never stopped showing up.
Jimmer Szatkowski: “I’m usually here by 10:30 or 11. And I spend most of my time connecting with guests and team members.”
Campbell: This community has given him hope — even in the hardest of times.
Jimmer Szatkowski: “This place fills up my soul.”
Campbell: His purpose only continues to grow.
Jimmer Szatkowski: “Your life isn’t over. It’s not even close.”
Campbell: For Jimmer, family isn’t just who you’re born with — it’s the one you build…In Cicero, Kaitlin Campbell, NCC News.
“I’m usually here by 10:30 or 11. And I spend most of my time connecting with guests and team members,” Szatkowski said.
For his staff, Szatkowski’s dedication has become an example of strength and leadership.
“I just hope to be like Jimmy or someday,” said catering director Taylor Cannon.
Team member Taylor said the support and sense of community at the restaurant come from Szatkowski’s example. “Knowing that there’s someone in your corner is always a good thing to have,” she added.
Szatkowski said his connection to the restaurant goes beyond work. “This place fills up my soul,” he said.
He added that seeing the way the restaurant impacts people has been meaningful to him. “It was very emotional for me because I could see how this restaurant is changing the lives of people.”
His wife, Betty Szatkowski, said their family has approached his diagnosis with openness and honesty. “We just tried to be as truthful and as factual as we could be, but also know that we’re not going anywhere, that their father’s not going anywhere,” she said.
Despite the challenges, Szatkowski continues to focus on faith, family, and community — values that shape his leadership both in and outside the restaurant.
Szatkowski says he plans to keep showing up each day, serving customers and connecting with his community — one meal at a time.