Ruthie's brick-and-mortar restaurant opens in South Dallas

The Brief
A new food destination opened its doors in South Dallas on Monday.
It's called Ruthie's Café, and it's run by the nonprofit Good Foundation.
It's the same Ruthie's as the food trucks that boast grilled cheese sandwiches made using the recipe of the CEO's grandmother, Ruthie.
DALLAS - Ruthie's food trucks are not going away. Instead, the nonprofit organization that runs them is expanding its mission with a brick-and-mortar restaurant in South Dallas.
Why you should care
The new Ruthie's Café has a three-fold purpose – to provide nourishing food to the community, to support St. Philip's School, and to give folks who need it a second chance.
Housed in a building owned by St. Philip's School and Community Center, all proceeds will go to the South Dallas private school that Good Foundation CEO Ashlee Kleinert and her husband, Chris, call their inspiration.
Kleinert is hopeful the new café will have the perfect recipe for building up lives and the community.
"That's really the mission, about why we are here," she said.
The backstory
Good Foundation's mission started with Ruthie's food trucks.
Kleinert took her grandmother's famous grilled cheese recipe and began giving second chances to people who've been in trouble, many with a history that makes it hard for them to get a traditional job.
That calling should continue with the café and a partnership with the Unlocking Doors re-entry program.
"Anybody who is staffing this restaurant is an Unlocking Doors client. That gives you an idea of how the partnership is working," Kleinert said.
What they're saying
Roy Morales moved up from his mess-ups to make the most of his second chance as the Ruthie's Café manager.
"And it shows that if you do the right thing, you know, that you can move up and make good money. You know, the right way. And this place gives value to the ex-convicts and people who have messed up in the past," he said.
"If you don't risk getting out of the boat, you'll never walk on water," said St. Philip's School Headmaster Terry Flowers. "Ashlee and Chris, you guys allowed a dream to incarnate inside of you and so many people joined forces to help make all of this happen. And we deeply appreciate it. That you got out of the boat and decided to help something miraculous take place right here in South Dallas."
"I hope it's something that people will come and celebrate with us and realize that when you come and dine here or have a sandwich or have a cup of coffee here that you're, it's something bigger than just that sandwich or cup of coffee," Kleinert said.
The Source
To gather information for this story, FOX 4 reporter Shaun Rabb and photojournalist John Gnann attended the ribbon-cutting event for the new Ruthie's Café on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025.

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