VIENNA — Shifting into the new year, the Westside 42 Grill is looking to make improvements. After spending the past four years at home raising her children, Kayla Yarnall is stepping back into the workforce with a fresh start at Westside 42 Grill, where she joined the team last month as the third waitress on staff.

Yarnall, 26, said returning to work was a big decision after dedicating years to being a full-time stay-at-home mom.

“I was actually a stay-at-home mom with my four kids for the last four years,” Yarnall said. “I decided to come back to work here with Jess and Lauren and everybody else.”

While this is her first job in several years, it is far from her first overall.

“It is like, I want to say, my tenth job,” she said.

Despite being new to the team, Yarnall said she has already found her footing in the restaurant’s atmosphere.

“I am really excited,” she said. “It’s already been such a fun environment to be in.”

Her schedule is carefully built around her children’s school day. Rather than working a traditional full shift, Yarnall works five-hour shifts so she can be there for pickup time.

“My shifts are only five because I have to pick up my kids from school,” she said. “It works with my kids schedule. That’s the biggest road bump in finding a job for me.”

Each day, Yarnall makes a 40-minute commute from Rolla to Maries County to get to work and said one of her favorite parts of waitressing is the chance to connect with people from all walks of life.

“It has to be the people, and the people’s stories,” Yarnall said. “You always meet some really cool, interesting people, and you get to talk to people that you normally wouldn’t run into in your everyday life.”

She has also wasted no time exploring the menu at Westside 42 Grill. Her go-to breakfast choice is the smothered biscuit, while her favorite lunch item is the bacon cheeseburger.

Yarnall said the support of the Westside 42 Grill team has made the transition back into the workforce easier and as she settles into her role.