Tandem Tacos is located on the corner of West and Lafayette in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It’s a new business that Owner Luke Penner dreamed of having.
“I’ve always enjoyed cooking and want to own a restaurant someday,” said Penner.
There is another reason Penner opened the truck, it’s to offer jobs for people with special needs.
“The goal is to try to hire as many people with disabilities as I can and hopefully keep them at the food truck for three or four months and teach them a lot of job skills.”
He got his passion for working with people who have special needs when he was a staffer at Camp Barnabas. And he wanted to bring that experience into his daily life.
“I was trying to figure out how I can match what I’m good at, what I enjoy doing with what I want to do for people and how I can help out other people,” Penner said.
One part-time employee, Jeff King, with a learning disability helps out at Tandem Tacos. He is proud of the work that he provides.
“Well, I’ve cleaned up some stuff in there, and I find something to do that needs to be cleaning,” King said.
Even though he enjoys cleaning, the goal for the future is to learn how to cook.
“I know it’s not the same as my grill, or my stove at home … I know it’s a lot bigger than the one I got at the house,” said King.
That’s exactly what Penner wants to do for King and for many others around the community.
“It’s exciting to see that it’s going so well, it’s really fulfilling,” Penner said.
For more information you can visit their Tandem Tacos Facebook page.
Courtesy of UATV Reporter Kristen Belue