By Kaelin Clay, Staff Writer
Students are raving about Ouachita’s next addition: Tacos 4 Life. The taco company is coming to campus in fall of 2023. Change can be exciting, and the smiles on faces that pass by the “coming soon” sign in the Evans Student Center prove that the replacement for Sandella’s is perceived as an optimistic shift.
Tacos 4 Life is a philanthropic restaurant chain fighting to end world hunger. Their website describes the product as “craft tacos for a cause.” For every taco, bowl, salad, quesadilla or nachos purchased, a portion of the cost is donated to a nonprofit organization that delivers meals to children.
One of the unique things about Tacos 4 Life is its connection to Ouachita. Sometimes it seems as if Ouachita can be found at every corner of the world, and in this case, it’s found in the form of tacos. Ouachita’s own graduates Ashton and Austin Samuelson co-founded the company. Sodexo marketing intern Coleman Callan provided more information on their backgrounds.
“Austin is a 2008 Ouachita graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Finance. Austin was a member of the Hickingbotham School of Business Student Advisory Board, Student Senate, The Men of Beta Beta and College Republicans. Austin’s wife, Ashton, is also a 2008 Ouachita graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education and Teaching. Ashton was a proud member of The Women of EEE, studied abroad in Austria and was a hostess for Tiger Tunes in 2006,” Callan said. “Soon after graduating Austin and Ashton got married. Then, they moved to California where they got their vision for Tacos 4 Life. Together, Austin and Ashton have four boys and many animals, including a pet donkey named Taco.”
Talks of Tacos 4 Life coming to Ouachtia are not exclusively recent. In fact, the consideration was first given thought five years ago, but 2023 ended up being the perfect moment to finalize a warm Ouachita welcome to the company.
“Ouachita, Sodexo and Tacos 4 Life met five years ago regarding the idea of putting the restaurant in the Evans Student Center. At that time, it was determined that it was not the right time to put the concept in Evans Student Center,” Callan said. “Within this last year, we revisited the idea of putting Tacos 4 Life into Evans Student Center, replacing the Sandella’s concept for a revitalized and refreshed look. We felt like this was a good change for our campus at this time.”
Since the announcement of Tacos 4 Life making its way to Arkadelphia, students have provided feedback through conversations happening around campus and on social media. Ouachita sophomore Madison Gray is embracing the exciting change.
“Change is always good, and after a while, having the same options to eat can get old. While the options that we have to choose from suited many taste buds, adding a Tacos 4 Life will be a good change to campus,” Gray said. “This gives students a variety of things to eat on campus, as well as giving back meals to those in need.”
Students are also thrilled about the full-circle moment the company is providing by showcasing alumni success in the center of campus. Ouachita junior Caroline Smallwood is looking forward to supporting Ouachita alumni.
