34 years and counting, Norma's Cafe gives out Thanksgiving meals

Iconic restaurants across North Texas use Thanksgiving Day to give back. This morning there was a line out of the door at Norma’s Cafe in Oak Cliff. People showed up way before 11 a.m. when doors opened.

“Norma’s Café is a blessing. It’s been a blessing they say for thirty years,” said Bianca Castro, who came for the Thanksgiving meal. This was her sixth year.

“It’s long but it goes fast. Everything goes fast,” she said of the line.

Workers at the restaurant expect to serve more than 2,500 people through the to-go line out back and inside the dining room. One of them was Johnny Poyser, his wife, and three dogs.

“We got some knuckleheads of mine,” Poyser said pointing to his dogs, “This one is Rocky Balboa. This one is his girl. Her name is Bella Bella. And this is their baby. She’s Roxy Girl.”

In his opinion, Norma’s has the best food in the neighborhood.

“They’re giving back to our community. Not just them wanting to make something from our community. They’re giving back to our community,” said Poyser when one of his dogs ran up his shoulders, “They are wonderful people here. Ok, Rock, shoulder. They have the same idea. Let’s love our people.”

VP of Norma’s operations, Kurt Metzger, tells NBC 5 that this area has helped support this restaurant since 1956. So, this week they got together donations from area companies to give out food here, at churches, and the North Texas Food Bank.

“We are the true local brand from the fifties. We breathe and preach what we speak and what we do. The reality is, we want to give back to our community,” said Metzger.