Taste Project's flagship program, Taste Community Restaurant, is more than your average restaurant; it's a community place where all are welcome regardless of financial means.
Taste Community Restaurants are full-service restaurants where the menu has no prices and guests can pay what you can. Those in need and those wanting to help are not segregated, in order to create an environment that is approachable and refreshing. Guests can do one of the following:
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Taste Community Restaurant
1200 South Main Street
Fort Worth, TX 76104
OPEN: Tuesdays - Sundays (9:00am - 2:00pm)
Dine with Us |
Taste Community Restaurant |
Living Our Mission
Taste Project exists to feed, educate, and serve our community so all may “…taste and see the Lord is good”. We believe everyone, regardless of means, should have access to nutritious food. Our vision is to see our community be the response and the solution to the challenges our community faces as it relates to hunger.
FEED
We don’t just feed our community, we provide healthy nutritious meals. Many of our guests who need our services eat either a small snack or skip a meal all together when they can’t dine at Taste. But when they dine with us, guests can choose from a menu of options and select what best fits their preferences and dietary needs.
OUR RESULTS
Texas A&M found that our guests are twice as likely to eat in alignment with their nutritionally dependent diets. By simply dining at Taste, guests consumed more vegetables, more whole fruits, less sodium, and less refined grains all of which reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
EDUCATE
We don’t just educate apprentices, we provide industry leading certifications that advance folks to a living wage quickly. We are the only paid, tuition-free, certified culinary training program in the state of Texas. Most of our apprentices complete certification in 16 weeks or less.
OUR RESULTS
We’ve graduated 71 apprentices from our Culinary Job Training Program. Our average job placement rate is over $16/hr. The American Culinary Federation as certified 94% of our culinary graduates.
SERVE
We don’t just serve our community, we build community. The more someone dines, volunteers, and participates at Taste Community Restaurant, the more we see transformational change across socio-economic levels. We believe this is because our guests begin to see themselves the way God sees them, which fuels the individual outcomes we see on a regular basis.
OUR RESULTS
Dr. Borchers from Texas Christian University is preliminarily finding the more someone participates at Taste Community Restaurant, the higher their sense of community which leads to lower stress, improved mental health, and higher rates of resiliency.
How You Can Help
Taste Community Restaurants are unique and special places making a real difference in our community. They are hubs of hope. You are invited to join us in helping more of our community ‘taste and see the Lord is good’.
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#Hunger #Employment #WorkforceDevelopment #Food #FaithBased
One in six in Tarrant Country is hungry. And 40% of the food insecure population in the county do not qualify for government programs. They are not homeless, but 90% of the hungry have at least one working adult in the household. They are single parents, folks with high medical expenses, and many have chronic illnesses such as diabetes. They are our neighbors.
Taste Project's flagship program is Taste Community Restaurant, which is more than your average restaurant; it's a community place where all are welcome regardless of means. All community members are invited in to "taste and see"; people in need can meet people who want to help-all with dignity, love, and respect.
Opened in 2017, Taste Community Restaurant is a full-service restaurant located in the heart of 76104. The menu has no prices and guests pay what they can. Those in need and those wanting to help are not segregated, in order to create an environment that is approachable and refreshing. Guests can do one of the following:
1) Pay what you can afford,
2) Pay what you would typically pay, or
3) Pay what you would typically pay, plus a little extra to help a neighbor in need.
This give-and-take concept has proven models across the country with nearly one million meals served each year from community cafes like Taste Community Restaurant. It doesn't replace soup kitchens and food banks; it only provides another innovative option by providing a venue for individuals and families to fill their bellies without shame. Now, there is no reason for anyone in our community to go hungry.
At Taste Project, the mission is to feed, educate, and serve the community so they may "taste and see the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8).
Since opening the doors to Taste Community Restaurant, the organization has served nearly 250,000 people during its pay-what-you-can meal services including breakfast and lunch on weekdays and brunch on weekends. In 2024 the organization plans to open a second location at 200 N Cooper Street in Arlington Texas.
View our current participation opportunities.
In-Person Volunteering
Kitchen Team
Taste Community Restaurant
Ongoing opportunity
In-Person Volunteering
Service Team
Taste Community Restaurant
Ongoing opportunity
In-Person Volunteering
Welcome Team
Taste Community Restaurant
Ongoing opportunity
Organization name
Taste Project
other names
Taste Community Restaurant
Causes
Hunger & Food Access
Operating Budget
$1,000,000 - $2,999,999
Counties Served
Dallas, Denton, Tarrant
BIPOC Serving
Black or African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latinx, Other
Equity Statement
Equity Statement
Address
1200 South Main Street