SAN ANTONIO — There are a couple things guaranteed with every meal Shelby Montgomery serves as a Chick-Fil-A employee: a smile and a warm greeting.
"She literally has a servant's heart," said Joshua Cunningham, owner of the Rolling Oaks restaurant and Montgomery's boss. "Shelby is the ideal team member. She's one who takes care of our guest, she takes care of our team members. She just has a sweet spirit about her."
But this isn't a story about how well-mannered the 22-year-old is; rather, it's about how brave.
"When I went back to the check the footage, I was overwhelmed with emotion when I saw that something like that happened in my restaurant," Cunningham said.
He's referring to an incident Monday afternoon where Montgomery was thrust into a position not many people have been in.
"I heard someone say, 'Call 911, someone's choking,'" Montgomery said as she thought back to that day. "As soon as I heard that, I was alerted and ran in here."
She said she ran over to the dining area to see a woman turn blue before collapsing.
"I said, 'OK I need to do something,'" she said. "'I need to do whatever I can do to help her out.'"
With a few repetitions of the Heimlich maneuver, she was able to clear the customer's airway.
"I sat down with her and started asking her if she was OK," she said.
But Montgomery had to get her bearings as well, because the future nurse just logged her first save.
Just a few days prior, Montgomery was awarded a national Chick-Fil-A scholarship to continue her nursing education. Combine that award with her recent firsthand experience, and it's safe to say she's on the right track.
"It was very encouraging," she said with a smile.
Her boss echoed that sentiment.
"I went down to the local scrub shop," Cunningham said. "I purchased her first stethoscope and presented that to her."
He said he knows that one day he'll lose his star employee, but it'll be for all the right reasons.
"I'm just so thankful that Shelby was at the right place at the right time to help that lady," Cunningham said. "To save a life."