Summer may still be a few weeks away, but the warm weather is already here and so are the summer vibes! Teams at Cars For Sale started their summer celebrations with a little bit of time on the patio and a lot of good food.

It’s not unusual during the summer to hear the sizzle of a hamburger or get a whiff of grilled chicken, barbecue, or hot dogs from out on the patio. People will bring all kinds of meat to grill, or just spend their lunch break taking in some sun while looking out at the lake.

This time, however, some of the different departments at Cars For Sale celebrated the unofficial start to summer as teams. The Sales and Customer Service departments had grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, chips, and soda while conversing over lunch. These employees were given an extra surprise because their manager, Jeff, grilled and served them dozens of hot dogs and hamburgers himself.

Jeff did an excellent job. What a grill master! The food was great, and the burgers were grilled to perfection along with the brats.

– Janice C., Support Specialist

After that, Creative Web spent some time out there with their own ice cream bar. Whether by cone or by bowl, they scooped out mint chocolate chip, vanilla, cookies and cream, and chocolate ice cream. Bananas, chocolate sprinkles, peanuts, crushed graham crackers, whipped cream, and M&Ms were just a few of the tasty toppings people used to enhance their ‘welcome to summer’ treats. Instead of building a sundae, some of the team members chose to pop open a can of soda to make a classic root beer float.

The grilled food and after-lunch desserts were both delicious, but, beyond the food, this was a chance for some conversation, a chance to spend some time outside away from their desks, and a chance for some team building.

I think everyone had an enjoyable, relaxing time having lunch together and getting to know coworkers from other Departments. I’m thankful we got the time to do it.

– Jeremey V., Support Specialist

The chance to do this is especially welcome because, between the sales calls and support efforts, the entire team doesn’t usually have lunch at the same time.

I appreciate having the time to do fun lunch-ins like this as it really allows us all to take a second and relax from it all. Some days can be extremely busy with never-ending calls and emails so it’s nice being able to press the “Pause” button even if it’s for only 15-30 mins.

– Jeremy U., Sales