'The mission came first': Tacos 4 Life opens Columbia location

The mission of providing meals to hungry children is off and running at Tacos 4 Life on Green Meadows Road in Columbia.

The new fast-casual, Tex-Mex fusion restaurant had its opening day Tuesday, but already had 35,000 donated meal packs for the nonprofit Feed My Starving Children under its belt thanks to family members of restaurant employees, said franchise owner Drew Vaden.

A soft opening was held just for employee families prior to Tuesday, and while they were able to eat free, it was their extra donations that purchased the meal packs, he said.

Previously: Fast casual chain Tacos 4 Life sets opening date, aiming to tackle childhood hunger

"I grew to love the mission as we learned more about it," Vaden said about purchasing the franchise.

For every meal purchased, 24 cents of every sale buys a meal pack for Feed My Starving Children, which are comprised of rice, vitamins, soy and vegetables and shipped to 70 countries worldwide.

Vaden owns the franchises in Columbia and Overland Park, Kansas. Other Missouri franchise locations are in Blue Springs and O'Fallon.

Matching values; varied menu

Vaden comes from Arkansas, which is where Tacos 4 Life was founded in 2014 by Austin and Ashton Samuelson. He previously was in the car-washing business before it was sold early in the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Vaden and his father, Brad, were looking to find an organization that aligned with their values.

"It was Tacos 4 Life that did that," Vaden said, adding he already was a customer before becoming a franchise owner. "To see a company that cares much more than about the bottom line. To (Austin and Ashton) the mission existed and then Tacos 4 Life existed. They had their mission before they had their menu."

The Tacos 4 Life menu has a wide mix on its menu, including classic beef tacos, but also more unique fare, such as the fried chicken tacos or Korean barbecue steak tacos, which are favorites of Vaden and co-founder Austin Samuelson. The fried chicken is based on a family recipe from the other co-founder, Ashton Samuelson.

There is a vegetarian option with a seared tofu taco and rice bowls and nachos can come without meat.

"Yeah, there are tacos, salsa and queso, but with a little bit different twist," Vaden said.

The restaurant has a family-style atmosphere with long, at least six-seater tables and some four-person booths.

"We hope for the community to get behind us. They are just as much a part of the mission as we are," Vaden said. "They are the ones coming in, buying our food, which then allows us to give to Feed My Starving Children and give meals to the kids. Without the community, we aren't feeding any kids."

The Samuelsons had a similar model with a pizza restaurant known as Pitza 42 (for two) in 2011, before transitioning and founding Tacos 4 Life in 2014.

Tacos 4 Life is franchisee-driven and is focused on the Midwest region, Austin Samuelson said.

"The demographics of Columbia, the size of the town and the great people here, it felt like a great fit," he said.

Finding a nonprofit partner

In 2009, the Samuelsons learned a shocking statistic: 18,000 children were dying daily due to starvation. This means about 3.1 million children die annually from starvation, based on 2018 data from World Hunger and UNICEF.

"That totally changed everything for us. God just kind of kept pushing and opening doors for us to embark on this journey," Austin Samuelson said.

They had no experience in the restaurant industry prior to their connection with Feed My Starving Children, he added.

From January: Mission-minded Tacos 4 Life restaurant to open new location in Columbia

They were looking for a trustworthy partner focused on childhood hunger. They initially connected with World Vision, and while donations there would go to childhood hunger programs, it also provided funds for things like community water wells or providing health care.

"All really important things, but we wanted to be able to have that one-for-one piece," Austin Samuelson said.

So he started researching again. He eventually came across Feed My Starving Children and was impressed by their stats and score with Charity Navigator.

A happenstance convinced the Samuelsons to partner with Feed My Starving Children. Ashton had heard a radio interview with Feed My Starving Children leadership on her way home from work as a teacher, Austin Samuelson said.

This was prior to her knowing about her husband's research into the organization.

"The coincidence was too great," he said. "We have been working with Feed My Starving Children for 11 years. They have been a phenomenal partner."

Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Tacos 4 Life Columbia location opens on Green Meadows Road