Morning Salute Food Truck Start-Up Offers Help To Out-Of-Work Vets

BOSTON (CBS) – Decked out in red, white, and blue with a soldier standing at attention, the Morning Salute food truck is prepared to serve you.

"You have to learn not to ever accept no, that's what the military teaches you is not to accept no for an answer," owner Rob Whitten told WBZ-TV.

He had to learn that lesson over and over again when he decided to open his own business.

Unsure of what to do, friends convinced him to combine his two passions, food and the military. It was an unexpected career change for Whitten that led to the most unexpected of friendships with Patrick Arabie, his chef.

"He was in the Navy I was in the Army, he was enlisted, I was an officer, he's from the south, I'm from New England so we argue pretty much constantly," Whitten said.

"We kind of fight all the time, it's good fun," Arabie told WBZ.

Despite their long list of differences, Arabie shares the one goal most important to Whitten, hiring only out-of-work veterans.

"Some of our veterans have different issues, have turned to drugs or whatever because they didn't get a second chance.  I'm not saying I want to give things to veterans, I want to give veterans opportunities," Whitten said.

"People just need a chance," Arabie said.

They're the first to admit not every veteran is the perfect fit, but they're committed to try as they work to grow the business into multiple trucks around Boston.

The Morning Salute will be on the streets of Boston Monday through Friday from zero six hundred to eleven hundred hours.

Feel free to stop by and thank them for their service, be it breakfast, military, or community and they'll be sure to greet you with a smile.

For more information, visit their website, morningsalute.com