Dare to Dream…

“Breakfast, Lunch, and Hugs” can all be found at Tim’s place in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Tim Harris is a restaurateur, Special Olympian gold medalist, public speaker, and now reality T.V. host all before the age of thirty. Pretty impressive resume if you ask me, and what is even more amazing is that Tim does not allow his down syndrome to hold him back from anything that he believes is possible.

Known for his inspirational hugs, Tim lives by the motto of Walt Disney ‘If you can dream it, you can do it.’. This motto keeps on driving him to achieve goals that some people would call impossible.

Growing up with down syndrome, life was not always easy because at times Tim would be picked on. However, his brothers helped teach him ways to deal with some of the bully situations that he might encounter. “When I was growing up I was struggling with bullies and my brothers helped me practice to stand up to them. I pushed my brother John really hard against the wall and hurt him. I felt really bad but my brother told me that’s what I needed to do to the bullies.” (InterviewsThatMatter)

The words “I’m more alike others than different” ring true when coming in to Tim’s Place. As a young man, Tim informed his parents that some day he wanted to own his own restaurant, and they took him seriously. After graduating high school in 2004, Tim attended Eastern New Mexico University and earned certificates in Food Service and in Office Skills. He also worked at several restaurants before investing, with the help of his parents, into the restaurant business. (timsplaceabq.com/about-tim)

Tim’s favorite part about owning his own restaurant is being able to give out hugs to anyone and everyone. Whether it is your first time visiting or if you are just in need of a hug, Tim is glad to give them out. To date, he has given out over 42,000 hugs, and with a goal of one billion hugs, he is off to a great start. “I want to give out all the hugs myself. I never get tired of giving hugs – I recharge my hugging machine every night!” (InterviewsThatMatter)

So, whether you are in the mood for a bite to eat, or just need a great hug to change your attitude, Tim’s Place seems to be the perfect fit. “It’s important to believe in yourself and in your dreams. When I believe I have the friendliest restaurant in the world, other people believe it too.” (InterviewsThatMatter)

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.- Matthew 19:26

http://timsplaceabq.com/