This Fort Worth restaurant promises a good meal even if you can’t pay. Now it’s expanding

The way Jeff Williams and his wife Julie see it, a good meal should be able to be enjoyed by everyone.

And that’s what they serve folks at Taste Community Restaurant in Fort Worth — and soon in Arlington. Whether you have a thousand bucks or nothing but lint in your pocket, you will not leave their restaurant hungry.

Jeff said he started Taste Project in 2017 because “God asked me to.” He added that it was the result of years of having his heart tugged at and a desire to help eradicate hunger.

In layman’s terms, Jeff said Taste Project’s mission is “to feed, educate, and serve our community so they may ‘taste and see the Lord is good.’ We believe everyone should have access to healthy and nutritious food. Our vision is to see our community become the response and the solution to the challenges our community faces as it relates to hunger. “

Jeff grew up in a family of four with his parents and his sister. Both parents worked and money was always tight. His father was part of a union and Jeff remembers when his father and his co-workers went on strike. He recalls that as the strike went on food became scarce and his parents would skip meals.

He made a vow to do all he could to make sure no one will go hungry for the reason of a lack of money.

Food insecure residents make up 12% of Tarrant County’s population, according to Feeding America.

How the restaurant works

Taste Community Restaurant, at 1200 S. Main St., is the hub of the Taste Project organization. It is more than your average restaurant, it’s a community place where all are welcome regardless of financial means.

The menu has no prices. Instead, guests are asked to 1) pay what you can afford, 2) pay what you would typically pay at a similar restaurant, or 3) pay a little extra to help a neighbor in need.

In addition, 80% of the staff are volunteers and people looking to invest in their community and make a difference.

Since opening in the Near Southside — the site of an old printing company dating to the 1920s — the restaurant has served over 200,000 meals and engaged 3,500 volunteers to help with the mission.

“This initial response highlights both the need in our community and the desire and wiliness to help,” Julie said.

She detailed that before the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately half of the restaurant’s guests received a free or subsidized meal. This year, they have served nearly 50% more people than in 2022, and approximately 75% of the guests have received a free or subsidized meal. She said this sharp increase in diners is the result of the change in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and the rising cost of living in Tarrant County.

“Taste Project wants those facing food insecurity to have a place that feels like home and a place that is more than a meal, but also hope. Which is why home and hope are embedded in our programs,” Julie said.

Menu a healthy and hearty mix

The menu is a mix of healthy and hearty options designed to accommodate the foodies in the neighborhood while also remembering this may be the only meal some of the guests eat all day.

“We purchase all of our food and we prioritize local ingredients,” Jeff said. “We use our culinary apprentices and volunteers to make as much as we can from scratch every day.”

Jeff said this season’s menu is marked by wild mushrooms, butternut squash, and fresh herb flavors throughout. Fresh and healthy options include roasted butternut squash fall hash, fresh start oatmeal, wild mushroom toast, kale salad, fennel and black pepper chicken sandwich, roasted mushroom enchiladas, and more.

Also, Julie noted, “Because we purchase all of our food and operate with similar expenses of a traditional restaurant, we rely on monthly supporters to help ensure we can meet the growing needs of our community.”

The Taste Community Restaurant was recently ranked No. 40 on the Yelp Top 100 dining experiences in Texas.

“Great place to eat and give back to the community,” said a guest and Yelp reviewer. “Great place for a good cause.”

More than a restaurant

Taste Project features more than its restaurant. Other facets of the organization include:

▪ Fort Worx highlights how the community continues to come together to solve some of the toughest challenges in creative and innovative ways. This is a collaboration between Taste Project, Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County, and the Culinary School of Fort Worth. Launched in 2021, Fort Worx is the only paid and accredited culinary job training program in Texas. Apprentices spend 16 weeks learning the fundamentals of food preparation hands-on in real-world environments while earning a paycheck.

Apprentices are also enrolled in the Culinary School of Fort Worth’s Pre-Apprenticeship Program, which includes American Culinary Federation certification and job placement support. Since inception, 54 apprentices have graduated with an ACF Fundamentals Cook Certification, Jeff said.

▪ iHEAL Collaborative, funded in part by Texas Health Resources, integrates multidisciplinary services in a nontraditional setting of a pay-what-you-can restaurant. Each of their cross-sector partners brings expertise in addressing social determinants of health, including improving access to job training, employment, healthy food, nutrition counseling, and financial literacy education and coaching — all of which impact health and quality of life.

“By integrating services across our program collaborators, we can systematically address community needs that we could not solve independently,” Julie said, adding that eligible residents can select which of the collaborative’s programs to participate in, based on their needs, capacity, and goals.

“Not only are we changing our financial mindset, we are changing our health mindset,” said Kendall Thornburg, an apprentice in the iHEAL program.

Moving into Arlington

When the city of Arlington learned about what Taste Project was doing in Fort Worth, Jeff said the city invited the organization to expand and open a second location at 200 N. Cooper St. in Arlington. The site will include 3,000 square feet of restaurant space, a production kitchen, culinary classroom, offices for employees and partners, and an additional 6,000 square feet for program expansion.

Construction is underway and Jeff said they look forward to opening in early 2024.

“I have always known God’s plans for Taste Project are bigger than Fort Worth. Our unique approach to helping those in need while building community aligns with the priorities of Arlington residents,” Jeff said.

Jeff acknowledged that, according to the 2020-2024 Housing and Urban Development Consolidated Plan for the City of Arlington, low and moderate-income individuals and households typically do not have regular access to healthy food because they lack adequate transportation and affordable healthy food choices.

He added that the future Arlington restaurant, within walking distance of UT Arlington, Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital, and numerous downtown homes and businesses, will bring affordable healthy food choices where they are needed most. The location is also easily accessible through Arlington’s affordable citywide on-demand public transportation service, Via Rideshare.

Jeff also said the paid culinary training programs Taste Project offers is a growing need for Arlington businesses.

“We could not have asked for a more perfect partner than the City of Arlington to feed, educate, and serve even more people in our community,” he said.

In helping to facilitate the addition of the Arlington location, Jeff said not only has the city helped, but it has also received support from the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation, the McKesson Foundation, the Amon G. Carter Foundation, Women Inspiring Philanthropy and many others to begin transforming the industrial building on Cooper Street.

Jeff said the complete project will cost $2.9 million, of which about $2.2 million has been raised. They are seeking support to stay on schedule for an early 2024 opening. People can donate at tasteproject.org/donate.

Jeff said other expansion considerations are in the future, adding, “But right now we are focused on Arlington.”