The ring of a bell above the door, followed by the sound of children’s cheers is the first thing employees at Howdy Homemade hear before greeting customers. Brandt Urban smiles and says, “Welcome to Howdy Homemade! What can I get you?” before scooping his personal favorite flavor, Dr. Pepper ice cream, into a small cup.
He hands over the treat, and the customers leave with smiles, their sweet tooths satisfied as they devour their ice cream.
“It [Howdy Homemade] not only changed my life but everyone’s life, and I know I can do things that no one else can,” Urban said.
Brandt Urban was born with Down syndrome. Working at Howdy Homemade has had a life-changing impact on him.
When Urban first started at Howdy Homemade nine years ago, he started behind the cash register. Today, he serves as Vice President of Brand Franchise. Part of his responsibilities includes going on work trips with Landis to new locations.
“It is always so much fun working with Tom. We even go on business trips like San Antonio, Houston, and Austin,” Urban said.
Howdy Homemade stands out from other ice cream shops. Since it was founded in 2015, Howdy Homemade has carried a mission beyond dessert: creating jobs and opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities.
Howdy Homemade is a business model rooted in inclusion. Founder Tom Landis has created an opportunity for those with developmental disabilities to show the world that they are capable in everyday jobs.
Howdy Homemade has paved the way for other businesses in hiring and empowering individuals with developmental disabilities.
“If you talk to any restaurant owner, any of the 6192 restaurants in Dallas that are complaining about good help when they are absolutely segregating and biasedly excluding people,” Landis said. “It’s our secret sauce, and it’s awesome because our hope is that people would take our ideas and run with them.”
Super Duper Cookies, a new cookie shop off Hillcrest, has also welcomed people with developmental disabilities to their team.
Since opening Howdy Homemade nearly a decade ago, it isn’t just the employees’ lives that have changed, but Landis’s, too.
“I’ve seen my employees who have come on board grow in so many ways from taking on additional responsibilities, but I think I’m the one that has truly grown from them,” Landis said.
A 2023 statistic reported that 19.1% of the 6.5 million people with developmental disabilities are employed. Howdy is just one of the businesses wanting to raise that statistic.
Landis said he drew his inspiration from a book titled “Another Season: A Coach’s Story of Raising an Exceptional Son.” Gene Stallings’ son Johnny, who had Down syndrome, just wanted a chance to work and create an independent life for himself. Stallings’ book pushed Landis to think beyond traditional fundraising and awareness campaigns. He wanted to make a lasting impact.
“Make the change in the most sacred of American places…The business world,” Landis said. “That’s where we’re not making change, and that’s where we need to make the change.”
Landis committed to creating that change, one that would transform not only his own life but the lives of others. He and his wife mortgaged their home and invested everything in Howdy Homemade in 2014. Since then, Howdy Homemade has signed six franchise agreements and is available in approximately 1,000 grocery stores.
“Sixty million Americans who have special needs are looking for work, and then we have a restaurant industry with the worst turnover rate of any industry,” Landis said. “The restaurant industry is broken, and we can fix it with our employees.”
With a zero turnover rate, Howdy Homemade has begun to address this issue within the restaurant industry. Howdy Homemade allows its employees to show the world they can do what the world has told them they can’t.
“I think we’re giving them right now a chance for them to show the world that they can do things that the world does not think are possible,” Landis said.
Not only do the employees show the world what they can do, but they also show their families.
“One time, I remember asking a mother of one of the employees if she thought the employee [her son] was ready to work the register. She said ‘I honestly don’t think that he’ll ever really be ready to work the register. Tom, sometimes you think that the employees can do too much,’” Landis said.
One thing that Landis has learned in business is not to ask questions unless you know the answer.
“At the door, she’s watching her son on the register with tears in her eyes,” Landis said. “We have dug in deep, like a good college coach that says, ‘Give me your son and get out of the way and I will turn him not into a great player, but a great man.’ That’s what we’re doing at Howdy Homemade.”
Showing grace and having faith in the employees of Howdy Homemade allows them to grow and learn in a world that tells them they can’t. It’s what Landis calls their ‘secret sauce.’
“Our employees are not afraid to love…to love customers, to love each other and also just to have grace. Grace is a word that is not used in business, but frankly, I think it’s everything in business,” Landis said. “When we have the grace to give our employees who make mistakes but are learning, but give them grace, you get a workforce that will take a bullet for you.”
However, society often fails to recognize the potential of individuals with developmental disabilities as capable employees.
According to a study done by Sarah Calvert at BYU, there are harmful stereotypes created by societal perceptions that are damaging to those with disabilities. These negative perceptions lead society to believe that those with disabilities cannot work in the workforce.
“Some of these negative stereotypes include beliefs that people with disabilities have a less important place in society or that people with disabilities are unable to contribute positively to their local communities,” Calvert wrote.
But Howdy Homemade’s employees don’t let stereotypes get to them.
Over the years, the Howdy Homemade workforce has become stronger than ever. Over time, Landis has built that trust with his employees and has allowed them to grow.
Urban has been there for most of Howdy’s milestones, both good and bad. About nine years ago, there was a robbery at Howdy Homemade, and it crushed Urban.
“When the robbery happened, they blew up the glass and they took the money. It went straight to my heart,” Urban said.
For employees like Urban, Howdy Homemade isn’t just a job; it’s a place where they feel seen, supported, and at home. When the robbery occurred, it devastated Urban, but it also further solidified Urban’s love and appreciation for Howdy.
Urban isn’t the only employee whose life has changed for the better because of Howdy Homemade. Jajuan Hill has worked at Howdy Homemade for the past two years. Starting at the register, Hill is now the Catering Coordinator.
According to a recent Accenture report, “The Disability Inclusion Imperative,” businesses that actively seek to employ people with disabilities outperform other businesses. The report found that these companies generated 1.6 times more revenue, 2.6 times the net income, and twice the profit. As a bonus, businesses that employ people with disabilities are also more likely to have increased productivity levels, outperforming other companies by 25%.
For Hill, Howdy represents more than employment; it’s a close-knit community that he holds in deep value.
“It [Howdy Homemade] brought me a lot of confidence… seeing the smiles on people’s faces and having friendship around me.”
Every time Hill walks through the door, he’s welcomed by friendly customers and coworkers who brighten his day. Sometimes, all it takes is a simple gesture to make the day special. He’s grateful for the kindness and generosity he’s received.
“I would say thank you for being nice to me, and it would be the greatest thing I’ve ever had in my life, and it changed my life forever,” Hill said.
Howdy Homemade continues to grow its impact, proving that inclusion and good business can go hand in hand.
Starting Howdy Homemade was never about money. It was about making a change in an industry that needed it the most, and that’s exactly what Landis has done.
“Ya know, at the end of the day, we don’t want to see how much ice cream we can sell,” Landis said. “We want to see if we can change people’s lives.”
