Williams, Stiemsma Serve At St. Louis Park Arby's

Lindsey LaBelleWeb Editorial AssistantEmail Minnesota Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams and center Greg Stiemsma put their teamwork to the test serving customers at Arby's restaurant in St. Louis Park on Monday. The pair worked the counter, prepared orders and helped customers at the drive-thru during the dinner hour to benefit both the Arby's Foundation in support of Share our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign and the Minnesota Timberwolves FastBreak Foundation. The Wolves have been a cohesive unit on the court, but also a cohesive unit in the kitchen. "[Stiemsma] was a little bit better at organizing the bags, I was better at counting the money," Williams said. "I think it was pretty cool, we had a little teamwork going." Both players agreed this was no easy feat. "When I was on drive-thru, just trying to keep up with all those orders, it was tough, but I had a lot of good help back there.” Stiemsma said. “Hopefully I didn't slow them down too much.” Arby's Minnesota Director of Operations, Mark Kocer, was pleased with the Wolves' performance. "Greg and Derrick did outstanding,” he said. “It's clear to me why the Timberwolves are excited to have these guys on the team: Quick learners and they're very passionate about everything they do." For 25 years, Arby's has partnered with various organizations to benefit youth in the community. This year's collaboration with No Kid Hungry has allowed Arby's to donate $250,000 to end childhood hunger. Partnering with the Timberwolves helps build awareness around the cause and will impact the rest of the year and 2013, Kocer said. "Our core customer group is a Timberwolves fan and vice versa. Your fans are our customers, and they're really excited to come get some of their favorite foods and meet some of their favorite players," he said. Several customers were shocked after being greeted by Williams and Stiemsma at the drive-thru. "It was fun. You could see the peoples' faces through the drive-thru, really surprised,” Williams said. “'Oh man, I'm really getting served by Derrick and Greg!' I think it was pretty fun.” Stiemsma is a fan of the Classic Roast Beef and wasn't surprised by their popularity. But being on the other side of the counter wasn't as easy as he anticipated. "Those guys make it look so easy every time we come in, and it's not quite as easy as it looks. I got a whole new respect for the fast food industry, how efficiently they run," Stiemsma said. Williams enjoyed this new vantage point, but recalled entering orders on the computer as the most challenging aspect of the job. "Since we're always on the other side ordering fast food [...] we have an understanding now that it is really some hard work. You have to be precise, and get people's orders right," Williams said. At the end of the day, it's truly all about the fans. "It's always good to give back to the community and the fans. A few people I met today just became fans now," Williams said. "They didn't just come to get autographs, they actually came to sit down and eat and talk to us." However, there was one flop during the evening after Williams loaded a customer's tray. "I set the fries up instead of laying them down on the tray, so when he picked up the tray, he turned, and they all flew on the ground, so I had a little turnover today, but hopefully it doesn't translate to the court," he said. Williams rushed from behind the counter to clean up the fry casualty. This event proved that the Wolves' dedication doesn't falter, even when they're off the court.