2 years ago 2 years ago

A New Healthy Fast Food Alternative with a Mission

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by THRiVE! News 2 years ago2 years ago

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Mr. Charlie’s Is Serving Up Fast Food In Ways You’d Never Expect

You may have never heard of Mr. Charlie’s yet, but the new plant-based restaurant in Los Angeles has big plans to come soon to a city near you. Dubbed “Vegan McDonald’s” on social media, the restaurant is taking the community by storm, for its tasty healthy alternatives and its mission to help those who are hurting by hiring graduates of the Los Angeles Dream Center.

Started by a formerly homeless individual, the restaurant has a mission beyond healthy food, it’s also contributing to helping the city of LA deal with its homeless and drug epidemic.

Taylor, co-founder of Mr. Charlie’s told Fox 11, “It’s a plant based burger made possible by a great group of people, but it’s about the why.”

The “why” is hiring people from the Dream Center and helping those overcoming addiction and homelessness get back on their feet.

That heart to help the homeless started when Taylor needed help and turned to the LA Dream Center. Here he met Pastor Matthew Barnett who offered assistance, provided a place to stay, and gave Taylor $1,000 when he was at his lowest. This help would be the seed to get Taylor back on his feet and now starting this social enterprise and dream for a brighter future. Barnett shared the story on his Instagram page along with his own story of helping the founders of the restaurant get back on their feet and hiring people staying at the Dream Center in LA.

“Met a man who was homeless. He stayed @ladreamcenter and I gave him $1000 to rebuild his life,” shared Matthew Barnett on Instagram (matthewbarnett1) “He stayed on campus and turned his life around. He started a restaurant. Now, it’s the most talked about restaurant in Los Angeles that is giving back by hiring everyone who needs a job living at the Dream Center.”

Taylor got in touch with Barnett and asked him if he could partner to employ people at the Dream Center.

“It wasn’t long ago, just several months ago, he texted me and said can I use the workers to build the core values of who we are as a company and that is to give people a second chance or third chance or whatever it takes,” Barnett told Fox.

Second and third chances are what recovery programs like the Dream Center and others are all about. It takes the community coming together and supporting entrepreneurs like Taylor who shared with Fox,

“We are expanding very fast. You will see them [Mr. Charlie’s] everywhere. It’s happening. We’re excited. We’re just grateful to be living this dream.”