Dallas' Ruthie's food truck to open brick and mortar location, offering second-chance jobs
DALLAS – A new cafe opening in South Dallas is committed to more than serving food.
This fall, Ruthie's Cafe will open its doors in a neighborhood of Dallas that has battled food insecurity for years.
Ruthie's For Good, a food truck that started over a decade ago, is expanding into a brick-and-mortar restaurant on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Since 2011, Ruthie's has been rooted in spreading kindness and giving people second chances.
"We've become a second-chance employer, and that has changed my life, and I think those that work with me as well," said Ashlee Kleinert, the founder of Ruthie's For Good.
Alonzo Anderson, who goes by "Zo," has been a Ruthie's For Good employee for a couple of years. He's the one behind the creative grilled cheese menu.
"My family's proud of me. I had a past, I've been to prison, made a couple of bad decisions, but now I'm on the right track," Anderson said.
Ruthie's for good was among the first of the food truck revolution in Dallas.
More than serving iconic grilled cheeses, it's rebuilding lives.
Over the years, the founder and employees at Ruthie's saw the needs of the southern Dallas community outgrow what the gourmet kitchen on wheels was able to serve.
"There are over 40 liquor stores and a few square miles in that radius. There was no food. And there's an incredible community that deserves more," Kleinert said.
Ruthie's Cafe worked in collaboration with St. Philip's School and Community Center, not only to help fight food insecurity, but also to contribute to the vital education and resources that St. Philip's provides to families in South Dallas.
"To see it go from food trucks to a restaurant and be part of it," Anderson said.
Anderson's iconic grilled cheeses won't be leaving the menu – it's his claim to fame. But you can expect more behind the counter.
"We will also be able to add some healthy options with some salads, some soups. In the morning we'll have eggs and we'll have fruit [and] yogurt," Kleinert said.
The cafe is working with a Dallas-based meal prep company, LifePlate, and local farms to make sure they're serving the freshest, locally-sourced produce.
Ruthie's Cafe will be an extension of Ruthie's For Good in the nonprofit's mission, with the hope of serving more people.
"Our hopes and goals Ruthie's is that we just continue to extend grace and light and nourishment and nourish the soul, nourish the body. And that others, maybe we encourage others to do the same," Kleinert said.
"I'm just happy to be here and I'm just so thankful for Ruthie's and for giving me the opportunity and the chance to be here," Anderson said.
To follow Ruthie's Cafe and a grand opening date, click here.
