Finding Community in an Unexpected Place
Writer & Photographer / Abbie Willans
For some people, McAlister’s is just another restaurant near Hamilton Town Center, but for others, it’s a family- and budget-friendly place to eat. No one loves it as much as Erik Longenecker and his family. For them, it has become almost a second home — a place to make friends, connect with their community and give back.
Longenecker and his wife, Ashley, have been coming to McAlister’s since 2013, before their children were born. They could walk to McAlister’s from their home, and Longenecker spent many late nights there working on his master’s thesis or grading papers. The couple would have board game nights at the restaurant before his wife had to go to work as a night shift nurse. They’d split a meal or an iced tea, and it was something that could fit into their budget with student loans.
“My wife and I backpacked over Europe, and we always liked the café style there, especially in Paris,” he says. “Late evening on Sunday, they’re not getting ready for the workweek like Americans do — they’re up til 11 at night socializing. We always loved that, and we missed that in the U.S.”
McAlister’s gives that to them, with a space outside of home or work to meet new people and make real connections.
“If you come here long enough, they get to know you and you become a regular,” he says.
They met other regulars at the restaurant — an older couple named Kenny and Sandy — who would become like second grandparents to the Longeneckers’ children. They connected over board games, and in time, Kenny introduced Erik to volunteering at the food pantry at Third Phase, Inc.
Service and helping others has always been an important part of community building for Longenecker. As a teacher, he and his students wrote letters to a former McAlister’s employee who was going through basic training. Once he became an assistant principal, he wrote letters of recommendation for McAlister’s employees who were applying for college. He started career technical education programs at his school to help non-college-bound students obtain work experience.
One of the companies that helped train those students was Armor Air, a local Noblesville HVAC business that shared his vision. The partnership eventually turned into a career change for Longenecker.
“I fell in love with what Armor Air was doing for my kids who needed it the most,” he says. “They offered me a job to work there and build up the class program at other schools, as well as marketing and sales.”
When McAlister’s air conditioning went out, Longenecker’s connection with Armor Air was able to quickly resolve the issue, and he hopes to continue growing the relationship between the two companies.
Despite being a national chain, McAlister’s in Noblesville has been an example of how community can come from anywhere — not necessarily because of the brand, but because of the individual people who go above and beyond to help each other.
“Ask yourself where you live and where you consistently go as touchpoints to find a second place outside your house and develop a community around that,” Longenecker says. “Don’t be afraid to go to new places and have conversations with people, and get to know them.”
McAlister’s is located at 14191 Town Center Blvd., Suite 150, Noblesville. Armor Air is located at 2461 Directors Row, Suite B, Indianapolis.
