Tidy Ben’s Offers Vegan Comfort Foods

April 24, 2021 - Downtown

By Valeria Torrealba, Senior Reporter | San Antonio Sentinel

When Benito Cardenas’s friends tried his sloppy joes, they did not expect them to be the perfect vegan rendition of a culinary staple that colors the palates of little kids around the country.

Tidy Ben’s — located inside Jokesters bar on 713 S. Alamo St. — opened its doors just a few months ago, hoping to bring a new culinary staple to San Antonio. What started out as just a test tasting in his circle now has become a food stand with decadent sloppy joes, tater tots, Texas bbq and curry. 

“Things just kind of fell and flowed into place,” Cardenas said. “A long time ago, I made my own [sloppy joes] at home, showed my friends, and at some point — between joking around but half-serious —  I’d bring it up to my family. It slowly snowballed into the business part, which was about half a year pre-pandemic.” 

Cardenas’s plan wasn’t always to be just outside of the bar — in fact, he aimed for the St. Mary’s strip at first, but found a happy in-between at Jokesters. What started out as various pop-up events turned into the Sloperia, where the magic of the vegan sloppy joes occurs. 

“The name wasn’t always Tidy Ben’s. We had a completely different plan in the beginning, as you can imagine,” Cardenas said. “To be outside the St. Mary’s strip, just have it be a late night bar, not attached to a bar. It’s switched all the way over, but that [was the] initial idea.”

The menu offers a variety of items that allude to traditional cuisine in Texas. Cardenas, being a vegan himself, aimed to stir a deep nostalgia within his test subjects as he fed them the vegan versions of their favorite foods growing up, leaving them with a full tummy and delicious flavor in their palates. 

“I have been vegan for about 7 years now,” Cardenas said. “I showed it to a bunch of friends who were not vegan. A big [response] was nostalgia. Nostalgia comes through — a lot of people haven’t had [a sloppy joe] past grade school.”

Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, business has bloomed for the eatery. Open from Wednesday thru Friday from 5-10 p.m. and Saturday from noon-10 p.m., visitors can expect a variety of “fresh, locally sourced ingredients,” as reported by the San Antonio Current. 

“Not to say we’re out of this world business, but for someone that started in the middle of a pandemic, I’d say we’re doing not too shabby,” Cardenas said.

Veganism has been a dietary change that has taken the world by storm — while some may switch to the diet as a lifestyle choice, others choose to pursue it to have a healthier gut. For Cardenas, upholding a vegan restaurant is a healthier alternative — and he chooses to also contribute to the local economy in San Antonio. 

“It’s a healthier alternative. It is plant-based,” Cardenas said. “We try to buy local when we can, we try to be a part of the solution when it comes to the world’s problems.” 

The vegan establishment’s mission statement consists of three pillars: to source locally, bring environmental awareness and be community-focused. Cardenas strives to uphold these pillars through his work every day.

“We strive to become a part of the community we serve,” Cardenas’s website reads. “Whether that is providing a platform for our community to showcase its talents or giving back to local charitable organizations, the goal is to make our community stronger and more sustainable for future generations.”

Valeria Torrealba is an opinions columnist and public relations assistant at the University Star, a student publication of Texas State University. Email her at reporter@sasentinel.com