Samir’s Story

At 34, Samir Zubair is the picture of the American Dream—married, father of two, regional manager for Wendy’s Restaurants, US Army veteran and deeply grateful US citizen. To realize his dream, though, he had to endure a nightmare. At age 8, his father, a government official, was murdered by the Taliban in his native Afghanistan. Under constant threat themselves, Samir, his mother and three siblings applied for refugee status, which was eventually granted five years later.

At 13, he came to Fort Wayne as a refugee and was thrust into a new culture that offered great challenges. He had to defend himself against bullies at school, which was all the more difficult because he did not speak English. There were many times he wanted to quit but he persevered, made friends and worked hard to master the language.

“While it was tough in the beginning, I knew this place was so much better than where I came from,” he says. “When you come from a place where there are no freedoms, you see what a great blessing America is."

Samir’s gratitude led him to join the US Army so he could repay the debt he felt he owed to his new country. In 2009 he was deployed to Afghanistan where he was a forward observer charged with gathering intelligence. He worked under a Hispanic alias and never let the Afghan soldiers around him know he could speak their language, which in turn allowed him to gather intelligence.

“Some Afghan soldiers were Taliban and would turn on us if they got the chance,” he says. “My job was to prevent that."

After the service, he returned to Fort Wayne to help his family run their Get-2-Go convenience stores. Then in 2019, he was recruited by Wenco, the area's Wendy’s franchisee. Samir rose quickly through the ranks, first as store manager and then regional manager of seven area restaurants. He has enjoyed great success building teams of employees where other restaurant chains struggle. He says the intangibles that make the difference.

“The owners treated me like family so that’s how I treat my employees,” he says. “It’s not just a job. This is a place where people want to work."

Now Samir has a chance to pay it forward to newly arriving Afghan refugees. Like he and his family, they must learn the language and culture. More immediately, because of the terms of their refugee status, they must repay the costs of their flight and become self-sufficient within 90 days. This means their first priority is getting a job.

“I've met some of these guys, they get off the plane, they start crying,” he says. “When I offer them a job, you couldn't believe how big their smiles on their faces (were).”

In the current job market, it is a big win for employees and employers alike. There is a chronic labor shortage, especially in the fast-food restaurants, many of which only do drive-thru service with limited hours. Like many other area businesses, Samir reports good success employing former refugees. He believes gratitude is at the heart of it.

“As a rule, former refugees don’t take our freedoms for granted,” he says. “They repay the favor everyday by working hard. And if you work hard in America, you can succeed. And Samir would know.