Montgomery eatery Hunger Crush Cafe gives back

Mike Kelton owns and operates four eateries, and he opened his newest venture—Hunger Crush Cafe—in June in Montgomery, which partners with the Montgomery County Food Bank to feed families in need.

Hunger Crush Cafe offers a variety of dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, such as French toast, hamburgers and Cajun catfish. The cafe gives quarterly donations to the Montgomery County Food Bank as well as 2 1/2 meals to the food bank for each Hunger Board menu item ordered. Kelton said guests can make a donation on their order receipt as well.

“It is very important to me that we are supportive of the community,” Kelton said. “Here, I wanted to have a much stronger relationship with the food bank. ... We’ll crush hunger together.”

According to Kelton, the landlord of the building where Hunger Crush Cafe is located reached out to Kelton through one of his other businesses to ask about opening an eatery there.

Since opening, Kelton said he has faced a few challenges while running the eatery, such as providing quality food at a lower cost and filling staffing needs. He said being able to get the message across that he is authentic with his mission and earn community acceptance has also been something the restaurant has worked toward.

“I want my customers to walk out and say, ‘Man, that was a great experience,’” Kelton said. “Finding [staff members] who are willing to do that is challenging.”

Kelton said the most rewarding part about running the business is creating a close-knit environment for staff.

“When I have staff that looks at this as a family and to me as a caretaker, that really means a lot to me,” Kelton said. “In my career I’ve found bits and pieces of ... what I wanted the culture to be. So to have staff that looks at this that way is important to me.”Hunger Crush Cafe

3 menu items to try

• Pesto Chicken ($12.95) is served with mixed vegetables and a side of rice.
• Hunger Crush Burger ($14.95) is served as an overflow burger with caramelized onions, cheese and bacon.3 menu items to try
• Breakfast Hunger Board ($19.95) provides servings for two and includes eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage and toast all served on a charcuterie board.

Hunger Crush Cafe

• 15250 Hwy. 105 W., Ste. 160, Montgomery
• 936-224-7518
• www.hungercrushcafe.com
• Hours: 8 a.m.-9 p.m. daily