A food truck in Dallas has opened a stand-alone restaurant south of Downtown. Ruthie's Fueled by Good started serving grilled cheese sandwiches in 2011, and on Monday, Founder Ashlee Kleinert opened the doors to the restaurant on Martin Luther King Boulevard, a block west of I-45.
"The 'why' is what keeps me going and keeps everyone in my organization going," Kleinart says.
Ruthie's Cafe employs people who have been released from prison. Kleinart operates the business as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit benefitting St. Philips School and Community Center.
"When we work with those needing a second chance and our partners in St. Philip's and the community, it just makes every day special and important," she says.
St. Philip's owns the property on MLK. Students played music and cheerleaders welcomed guests to a ribbon cutting Monday.
Headmaster Terry Flowers says the restaurant can show his students what they can achieve with hard work and guidance.
"It's bigger than a restaurant," Flowers says. "It's about tackling nihilism, a sense of hopelessness."
Flowers says the goal of "planting the seed of hope" can extend among students but also adults released from prison who are now working there.
"The employees here are second chance employees, so this is really organic of the community and for the community," he says.
He says the nonprofit is adding to a part of Dallas west of Fair Park that had been left behind by developers as the Metroplex has grown. Flowers says several other small businesses and a business hub are also planned along the corridor.
"The fuse has been lit, and now it is up to us to make sure we continue to grow, so it can continue to be for the community," he says.
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