Sarah Strauss
On May 6th, Souplantation announced on their Instagram account their grand re-opening on July 4th. The business had shut down in early 2020 due to Covid, but is now on the uprise. The announcement has driven many people mad with excitement as Souplantation is a San Diego favorite. 16-year-old Sue Pansalad has just gotten accepted for a job there and is thrilled for them to open.
“Ever since all of the Souplantations closed I sensed big changes in my friends and family. My family apparently also noticed big changes in me,” Pansalad said.
Her mom recalls her always feeling depressed and overcome with sadness. She remembers how she would always get mad when going to other buffets and feel miserable when seeing certain soups and muffins.
“We visited Las Vegas last year and went to a buffet. I figured she would love it because she loved Souplantation so much. But, she got so mad that she flipped the table — literally.” Pansalad’s mother said. “Her father and I got very concerned and wanted to cheer her up, so we made her favorite Souplantation soup and muffin. We placed a bowl of broccoli and cheese soup and a blueberry muffin in front of her, and instead of being happy, she became sullen and stormed off to her room without touching her food. Her father and I sent her to therapy right away.”
Therapy, however, did not work for Pansalad. She distinctly remembers how no one could fix her problem.
“My parents did everything they could to try to help me. They sent me to therapy, thirteen doctors, and even a fortune teller at the mall. Everyone they sent me to was dumbfounded by what they found,” Pansalad said. “The therapist told my father that she had never seen anyone like this and could not help me. The doctors injected me with a bunch of needles and ran twenty scans only to find nothing wrong. The fortune teller tried to read me and immediately packed up her things and quit her job.”
The Pansalad family, however, would not stop until they found something to help. They looked for over two years and found nothing. They were very close to giving up when they got the news.
Pansalad followed Souplantation’s official account on Instagram and as soon as she saw their reopening post, she gathered the whole family to tell them the exciting news.
“They were ecstatic. We were all jumping for joy when my brother suggested I get a job there. That way, I will always be at Souplantation and won’t have to miss it,” Pansalad said.
She is now happy and healthy and cannot wait to start her job there in a couple of months. Her friends and family have stopped worrying for her, as she is back to her cheery self.
“I was really worried about Sue during the past two years, but I couldn’t really do anything as Covid was there. Now that I can see her, I have stopped worrying because I know she is doing better. She is now the nice, fun Sue I know and love,” Pansalad’s friend said.
Pansalad is now preparing for her future responsibilities at her new job and cannot wait until July 4th. Until then, she waits for her training and to see if other locations will reopen as well.
