May is National Military Appreciation Month. It encompasses several key holidays including Armed Forces Day, Military Spouse Day and Memorial Day. During this monthlong observance, Americans celebrate service and sacrifice in defense of our freedom.
National pride runs deep in Texas, and expressing gratitude to our heroes is not contained to a single month, especially at Honor Cafe, where every day is Veterans Day.
Located in Conroe and now with a second location in Huntsville, Honor Cafe keeps the spirit of gratitude alive through good food, military memorabilia and a strong core mission.
Physical and Spiritual Nourishment
A wave of American pride overcomes you when walking into Honor Cafe. Flags and model airplanes hang from the ceilings, shadow boxes line the shelves and pictures of heroes who have served our country adorn the walls. As you make your way to a table, you pass under a sign that reads “Mess Hall”—indicating a large room where people, especially members of the armed forces, eat meals together.
Owner Chris Sadler served seven years in the Marine Corps. A pivotal moment during a deployment became the catalyst for Honor Cafe.
“A table is made from a hodgepodge of broken office chairs, MRE boxes and something semiflat,” Sadler said. “Then love shows up from thousands of miles away in the form of things from boxes sent to service members by families, and this incredible meal is made and shared.” (MRE refers to meals ready to eat, the military’s prepackaged rations.)
The physical and spiritual nourishment at that table is what Sadler hopes to share at Honor Cafe.
Genuine Meaning
The bus seats, hanging jackets, and every photograph, medal and item displayed has genuine meaning. Community members often bring in their own contributions to be displayed in the café. Sadler states, “this is the community’s restaurant and God’s restaurant; it doesn’t belong to us.” He verifies each item is genuine before including it on the walls. He wants to ensure he takes care of stories already hanging on the wall and never dishonors them by including unauthenticated memorabilia.
H.E.A.R.T.S. Veterans Museum of Texas in Huntsville also plays a large part in maintaining the genuine military aesthetic. The museum partners with Honor Cafe and provides items on rotation to be displayed.
Whether you have served in the military, enjoy military history or are just a patron passing by for lunch, the restaurant’s walls offer patriotic stories for everyone to enjoy.
Core Mission
The core mission of Honor Cafe is to honor veterans and their families every day. It provides a place for people to network, nourish their bodies (with local, all-natural beef and fresh ingredients), look out for one another, share stories and feel the camaraderie so often spoken about when it comes to the military. You can even hear the national anthem being played at noon Sundays.
The restaurant opens its doors to local groups and organizations such as the Rotary Club of Conroe, the Spring Creek Area Blue Star Mothers, veterans groups, Bible studies and more.
Additionally, Sadler and his wife, Mandi, launched Honor Up, a nonprofit organization providing physical and spiritual nourishment to veterans.
For more information about the café or to donate to Honor Up, visit honorcafe.us. Honor Cafe is located at 103 N. Thompson St., Suite 101, in Conroe and 2703 Sam Houston Ave. in Huntsville.
