Tim’s Place

Gil Garduno — Albuquerque, New Mexico

Great food aside, for five wonderful years, thousands of goodness-seekers made the trek to an Albuquerque, New Mexico restaurant to get a “Tim hug” from the owner; a calorie-free, guilt-free treat guaranteed to brighten one’s day.

Despite the diagnosis of Down Syndrome, Tim Harris owned and operated the “Friendliest Place in America.” He was the first American with an intellectual disability to do so. Each customer received the same greeting. “Hi! I’m Tim. I have Down Syndrome, and I’m awesome. How about a hug?”

As a challenged child, Tim’s one and only dream was to own a restaurant. Walt Disney provided his favorite quote “If you can dream it, you can do it.” Despite bureaucratic obstacles, wide-spread skepticism, and rejection, the budding entrepreneur and his family believed in their mission, worked hard, and pulled it off. Tim would probably say that the moral of the story is “love everybody and give lots of hugs. You’ll be just fine.”

The official hug-tally-board, prominently displayed for all to see, reached well over 30,000. In a nutshell, Tim’s Place rocked with goodness. After dancing, hugging and singing with total strangers, customers left with more than a full tummy; they left with a full heart.

After falling in love, Tim’s priorities changed, and, reluctantly, he closed his restaurant. His customers, however, remained loyal. Currently, he works as a server at the Range Café, but his hugs and quirky dance moves are as popular as ever.

As a life-long athlete, Tim’s new passion is the Special Olympics. The Albuquerque Special Olympics Committee experienced a $155,000 shortfall, and he creatively stepped in. He started a Hug-A-Thon. Volunteers in Tim’s community sold tickets redeemable for a “Tim hug” and made enough impact in the shortfall that the Special Olympics could take place.