NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark — Nestled in North Little Rock, you will find The Landing Cafe — a restaurant where community meets cuisine.
The local restaurant is so notable due to an incredible, new concept that they've introduced to the community — volunteers at this establishment ensure that once a customer walks through the door, that the person never goes home hungry.
"The whole idea for The Landing Cafe came from me watching the evening news and they had this couple in Alabama who had taken their retirement money and started a restaurant that was donation based," said Fellowship North Pastor Harold Nash. " We just kicked it off, got started four weeks ago and its been going great."
Community is the backbone of The Landing Cafe. Here, customers can pay what they want and still eat. Whether that's a singular dollar, $5, or $10 — workers at the restaurant ensure that none of their customers go home without getting their fill.
"If you want to pay a dollar, pay a dollar," Nash said. "If you want to $5, $10, $100, and we've had people to do all of that."
According to the restaurant's mission statement, the goal is to create a space where everyone feels welcome and valued. The Landing Cafe hopes to work as a location that fosters "a sense of belonging and mutual support."
"It's something special about sitting down, having a meal together and just having a conversation learning one another's story. We want to create relationship, we want people to get to know one another," Nash said.
As for the food? Well, at The Landing Cafe there's a different meal each and every week and we can confirm — everything we ate here was definitely good.
That's a sentiment shared by one of the volunteers at The Landing Cafe — we asked her what her favorite meal was so far, but she couldn't decide because "everything" has been delicious!
For those walking in looking for something lighter, don't worry, The Landing Cafe also has a salad bar as well.
The food is fresh, hot, and packed with flavor. And, as Nash will tell you himself, they don't skip out on the portions so each plate is filled with their weekly meal of choice.
And the food isn't the only thing that swaps on a weekly basis. The restaurant also has unique, sweet deserts that switch each week too.
For those looking to volunteer or eat at The Landing Cafe, the restaurant can be found at 1 E. 52nd Place in North Little Rock, Arkansas.