To celebrate this #VeteransDay, here’s a feature about how Army veteran Frank Diaz started @TinHutBBQ, a food truck business that has become a lifeline to other vets. inc.com/leigh-buchanan…
Since @TinHutBBQ's launch 7 years ago, it has employed 65 veterans or veterans' family members, accounting for roughly a quarter of the workforce. Diaz has helped many of those in their struggles with PTSD and addiction. 
Diaz's other priority is to provide active and retired service members with the kind of food he associates with relaxed good times.
Throughout his time in the military, Diaz kept alive his father's tradition: inviting soldiers for holiday or weekend barbecues. When working for the Department of Defense, he volunteered to barbecue for a conference being held by his church, which sparked his business idea.
Back in Honolulu for good, he opened his first @TinHutBBQ in 2012 on Schofield Barracks, an army installation, which quickly caught the attention of other bases in the area.
The focus on hiring veterans began five years ago, after Diaz mentored a veteran with PTSD who tragically took his life. "I said this will never, ever happen to a vet I know again," says Diaz.
In 2016 Diaz used profits to open a catering business, Aloha Gourmet Food Trucks. The 35 owner-operators of those trucks agreed to hire veterans. “They want veterans as part of their teams because they know they are dependable," says Diaz, who to-date has placed around two dozen.
The holidays are hard on troops who pull guard duty while others celebrate. Two years ago, Diaz started bringing them turkey dinners with all the trimmings. In 2018 the business fed 75 people at Christmas. Last year the number was above 200. (All photos by Michelle Mishina Kunz)
He hopes to expand @TinHutBBQ around the country. "Military people rotate duty locations, on average, every two or three years," he says. "They'll have some really good barbecue on base. Then they'll move to another base. And they'll see a familiar name." inc.com/leigh-buchanan…
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