If someone is hungry and doesn’t have enough money to pay for food, the owner of Taste of Jerusalem Café says it’s on the house.

Abdul Nasser is the president and owner of Taste of Jerusalem Café, a family-owned and run restaurant located right in the heart of downtown Colorado Springs. Nasser was born and raised in Yemen before migrating to the United States with his family in 1994 — first to Michigan, then to Colorado Springs in 1995 when he was a teenager. Now Nasser calls Colorado his home.

Nasser says that the restaurant industry has always come naturally to him. He got his first job in the restaurant industry when he was 14 years old.

“It’s always been in my blood since I was a kid,” Nasser said. “I have always been an entrepreneur, and I wanted to have my own business, so I kind of followed my dream.”

And for Nasser, dreams do come true, as Taste of Jerusalem Café has been serving the Colorado Springs community with authentic Middle Eastern cuisine since its opening in 2007. The restaurant has suffered hardships throughout the years but has always managed to continue serving the community — even those who cannot pay.

“We have been helping people since we opened, but without having the sign on the window,” Nasser said. “And whoever comes in, we feed them. We give them a sandwich or whatever we can.”

It was not until the COVID-19 outbreak that Nasser decided to post a sign on their front window that reads: “Hungry? No money? No problem. Come on in.” Nasser wanted to help those struggling with the economic repercussions of the virus. Even now, the sign is still displayed, and Nasser said he has no plans to take it down.

“What has inspired me to put the sign in the window is our community,” Nasser said. “We kept our doors open, and they kept us alive. So, to appreciate it and show our loyalty to others, you know, we stayed open so we can at least do something for the community that kept our door open.”

The restaurant serves free meals to around 10-15 individuals a day. How do they manage to give this much free food away? Paying customers donate money to purchase a meal for the next hungry person who comes into the restaurant.

“We’ve been getting a lot of [hungry] people walking in lately,” Nasser said. “They’re happy, we’re happy, you know. They leave with a smile, so that’s what matters right now. That’s what we’ve been doing for the past 14 years… We don’t let people leave here hungry.”

Even though this act has lost Nasser customers from time to time, he does not seem to mind.

“We still face people who walked out because they see homeless people in here,” Nasser explained. “There ais people who doesn’t like that [sic], but if they don’t want to be in, I don’t mind. They can go. It moves people away a little bit, but it doesn’t matter.”

Nasser says it is his Islamic faith that leads him to do this.

“The inspiration is always there because this is in our faith,” Nasser said. “This is what God, in our religion has asked us to do, you know, it is our belief. When somebody asks you for food never turn them out or leave them hungry, especially if you can afford it and you can do it… That’s what it’s all about.”

Inside the walls of the restaurant, you will find photos and murals of Old Jerusalem city, the “city for everybody.”

“Old Jerusalem city tells you that all religions can exist in one place, all culture can exist in one place so that’s why old Jerusalem has all kinds of religions,” Nasser said. “So, everything is in one place and they live just fine and in peace.”

Taste of Jerusalem is very fitting name for this restaurant opening its doors for all to come and eat.

Abdul Nasser poses in a booth inside his downtown Colorado Springs restaurant, Taste of Jerusalem Cafe, 15 E. Bijou St.

Elise Sappington/Cheyenne Edition