{"id":18415,"date":"2025-12-10T12:22:16","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T18:22:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/2025\/12\/10\/inside-dallas-first-hugs-cafe-a-new-restaurant-with-no-limitations\/"},"modified":"2025-12-10T12:22:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T18:22:16","slug":"inside-dallas-first-hugs-cafe-a-new-restaurant-with-no-limitations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/2025\/12\/10\/inside-dallas-first-hugs-cafe-a-new-restaurant-with-no-limitations\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Dallas\u2019 first Hugs Cafe, a new restaurant with \u2018no limitations\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction to Hugs Cafe<\/h1>\n

It\u2019s easy to smile at new Dallas restaurant Hugs Cafe. Everyone else is!<\/p>\n

Most of the employees inside this happy breakfast and lunch spot are individuals with disabilities. Hugs\u2019 chefs, like Dallas resident Meshia Brown, are taught knife skills and pastry skills. Hosts like Natalie Perez learn warm hospitality and customer service.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe exist so that every person can have professional and personal success,\u201d said Lauren Smith, Hugs Cafe\u2019s executive director. <\/p>\n

The nonprofit serves food in a rent-free building gifted from the Meadows Foundation, a private charitable organization that has created a feel-good community on 22 acres off Live Oak Street, near downtown Dallas. Hugs is neighbors with the coming-soon headquarters for Cafe Momentum, another restaurant nonprofit in Dallas that employs teenagers who have exited the juvenile justice system.<\/p>\n

Our Mission<\/h2>\n

Hugs provides \u201cpurpose, meaning and a paycheck,\u201d said Ruth Thompson, founder and president.<\/p>\n

The goal is inclusion.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can come support us for the mission,\u201d said Diana Zamora, a Dallas chef and culinary trainer, \u201cbut I also want you to come here for the food.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our Menu<\/h2>\n

Not sure what to order? Just ask. The Chickie Hug, a cranberry chicken salad sandwich, was a favorite from the cashier. Brown loves the Reuben. The Peach Gobbler \u2014 a turkey sandwich with peach chutney \u2014 tops Zamora\u2019s list.<\/p>\n

For breakfast, Hugs sells classic egg dishes, breakfast burritos and more. Any time of day, its wedding cake cookie and cherry-almond jam are popular takeaway items, Smith said. <\/p>\n

The Dallas restaurant also sells White Rhino coffee. <\/p>\n

Supporting the Community<\/h2>\n

As Hugs opens in a crowded food-and-beverage market in Dallas, it will look to the community for support, Smith said. Beyond day-to-day breakfast and lunch, Hugs sells catered boxed lunches for corporate events in the downtown Dallas and East Dallas area. Clients can know their food was made by a trained chef learning meaningful work in the restaurant industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe place no limitations on them,\u201d Zamora said.<\/p>\n

\"Simone,<\/p>\n

Simone, a Hugs Cafe employee, takes an order at the new Dallas restaurant.<\/p>\n

Azul Sordo \/ Staff Photographer <\/p>\n

Hugs across Dallas-Fort Worth<\/h2>\n

The original Hugs Cafe opened in McKinney in 2015, and it remains there today. <\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Introduction to Hugs Cafe It\u2019s easy to smile at new Dallas restaurant Hugs Cafe. Everyone else is! Most of the employees inside this happy breakfast and lunch spot are individuals with disabilities. Hugs\u2019 chefs, like Dallas resident Meshia Brown, are taught knife skills and pastry skills. Hosts like Natalie Perez learn warm hospitality and customer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":18417,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-18415","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dining"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/v2\/HNSLDHE54FEXBGCMJBDVAXLZPI.jpg?auth=6bbb443298f0b5d22b13f6ef4b9a6cb981fae8069398ac8e3944450398dd811c&quality=80&width=1200&height=630&smart=true","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18415"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18415"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18418,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18415\/revisions\/18418"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}