As we say goodbye to Drexel University’s EAT Café we commend the University for the work it has done in West Philadelphia. Thousands of people ate, gave, and supported EAT Café and its community.
Pay-what-you-can restaurants are not exempt from the same challenges of traditional restaurants. According to the University of Ohio, 60% of traditional restaurants fail in the first year, and 80% of traditional restaurants fail in 5 years.
Nonprofit restaurants have added restrictions on access to capital; pressure to immediately build community; and expectations to solve large social issues, while also operating a fully functional restaurant. This is why nonprofit restaurants need extra support including grants, fundraising, and organizations like One World Everybody Eats.
Read more at www.oneworldeverybodyeats.org.
One World Everybody Eats announces today the addition of Julie Williams as Board President, Thomas Brown as Board Vice-President, Donnell Jones-Craven as Board Secretary, and Erica Cunningham as Board Treasurer as the organization seeks to expand. And with deep appreciation for over 14 years of service, Denise Cerreta will transition from Board President to Board Advisor. Deb Casini Klein will also transition from Board Secretary to Board Advisor. And Fred Miller will continue as Director Emeritus.
One World Everybody Eats announces today its search for pay-what-you-can café operators in and around the Boston area as Panera Bread closes its last Panera Cares location in Boston Massachusetts.
Can a cafe operate successfully with customers paying what they can afford? The answer is not simple. The Rev. Mary Wolfe discusses her plans to open Cafe Esperanza.
Tracy Parks and her husband, opened Take Root Café in Kirksville, Missouri, in late 2016 as a pay-what-you-can spot serving healthy fare that is sourced locally as much as possible. Over the course of a year, Parks says, Take Root works with 12 local farmers, plus regional producers.
"We wanted to have healthy food be accessible to everyone. Adair County is one of the poorest counties in Missouri; 1 in 4 or 5 are food insecure," she says. "[Usually] the cheapest foods possible are highly processed, high fat, high sugar. So we want to make sure people who are on a budget or can't afford food get access to healthy food here."
Food writer, Liz Peto, dines at One World Everybody Eats pay-what-you-can cafe, The Eat (Everyone At the Table) Cafe, in Philadelphia and documents her experience at Spotted by Locals.
The EAT Café is a not-for-profit restaurant that nourishes and unites the community. In Philadelphia, nearly 1 in 4 people is food insecure. The organization address food insecurity by serving delicious meals to all who walk through our door.
Read more at www.spottedbylocals.com.
Knead Cafe Celebrates two years of serving its community in New Kensingnton, Pennsylvania.
“Maybe the cafe shouldn’t work, but it thrives. It filled a need, and so the Knead fills,” says writer Brian O’Neill of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette after spending lunch at the cafe.
Read more at www.post-gazette.com.
After more than three years of planning, Rev. Sarah Sedgwick, Erin Heath and Stefanie DuRussell prepare for opening day of Soul Platter Cafe by hosting several soft opening dates.
“Sarah, Stefanie and I remarked how wonderful it was to hear the laughter and chatter of our guests,” said Heath. “To see it all come together, from the fresh salad we picked, to the smells of the kitchen, to excited volunteers and the donations coming in before we are officially open, it’s just been a vision up until today. And now it’s real.”
Read more at www.thecourierexpress.com.
There are real challenges in operating a pay-what-you-can cafe, but behind all of those challenges are real people.
"The Panera Cares experiment didn't last nine weeks or nine months, but more like nine years. Very large numbers of people got free or low-priced food. Others were willing to use Panera Cares as a charitable mechanism by paying more for food."
Join the discussion at www.bbntimes.com.
One World Everybody Eats Cafes are providing healthy food and cultivating community in Appalachia! F.A.R.M Cafe in Boone, North Carolina, One Acre Cafe in Johnson City, Tennesee, and Grace Cafe in Danville, Kentucky are leading the way.
Read more at www.appvoices.org.
Jonathan Bender, food writer and volunteer at One World Everybody Eats Cafe, Thelma’s Kitchen, documents his volunteer experience and the impact Thelma’s Kitchen is already making on its community since opening in last summer.
“Thelma’s Kitchen is one of 60 restaurants operating nationwide under One World Everybody Eats, a charity that shows community organizations how to open eateries with a pay-what-you-can model.”
Read more at www.flatlandkc.org.
Cari Haus, Lori Jones and Angela McPherson are working to ensure everyone eats in Edmore, Michigan. Their pay-what-you-can cafe, Daniel’s Kitchen, will have an all vegetarian menu. The cafe is scheduled to open this February.
Read more at www.thedailynews.cc.
