A nonprofit dedicated to helping juvenile offenders change their lives has opened a new restaurant in Dallas.
Café Momentum employs young men who have committed non-violent crimes as interns through the Dallas County Youth Village, a court-ordered residency program that helps youth who have been incarcerated and are deemed “high risk” for future offenses.
“Eat. Drink. Change Lives,” the restaurant declares on its website.
The interns at Café Momentum act as hosts, waiters and chefs at the restaurant, in addition to performing duties like cleaning, washing and learning about restaurant management.
The interns learn cooking skills from gourmet chefs and serve food on donated tableware.
On its website, Café Momentum says these young men “were deemed unsalvageable by society and trapped in a cycle of crime and punishment.”
So Café Momentum stepped in to help.
It has been employing at-risk youth to serve at “pop-up” dinners at temporary locations throughout Dallas for several years.
Chad Houser, one of the founders, is thankful for the support he’s received from the local community. He told The Dallas Morning News that without community support for the project, the restaurant wouldn’t have been able to open a bricks-and-mortar location.
Interns are paid $10 an hour, but they aren’t permitted to accept tips. Any tip a patron chooses to leave is a tax-deductible donation to Café Momentum.
Café Momentum also has a classroom, and provides lessons for their interns on subjects like financial planning and parenting.
The Restaurant of Second Chances http://t.co/tqzNj3UXgY via @CityLab @cafemomentum pic.twitter.com/k8ufDO6hUU
— Civil Eats (@CivilEats) January 19, 2015
“I learned my past doesn’t define who I am,” Tamarrion Washington, 18, told The Dallas Morning News.
Houser told The Dallas Morning News that he knows that safety concerns are “an unfortunate part of the process.”
“Come and see,” he said, “Come and see how special this place is.”
While Café Momentum currently only accepts male interns, Houser hopes to start working with female juvenile offenders this summer.
Cafe Momentum from SALTBOX on Vimeo.