Almost free food? I'm in....

[CoolBreeze]

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- You're going to eat lunch, anyway, so why not eat someplace where the profit goes to someone in need, rather than to an owner?

That's the philosophy behind Delish, West Virginia's first nonprofit restaurant, owned by Janessa Spence. Spence, who is a special education teacher at Chandler Elementary School, contacted restaurateur Virgil Sadorra last winter after she read a Gazette article about his plans to convert his downtown restaurant Cilantro's into a nonprofit restaurant. All profits, after expenses, would go to local, underfunded charities, which would also benefit from the increased awareness created through the restaurant's publicity.


Recently, the Panera Bread restaurant chain opened a pay-what-you-wish restaurant in Clayton, Mo. Customers in the flush pay full price, or more, and the poor pay less, or even get their meal free. Customers are on the honor system. The restaurant made $100,000 in its first month of operation.

Profits will benefit Manna Meal through August, then go to Secret Santa in September. Spence is considering other charities.

http://www.wvgazette.com/Life/201007060540

Great... Manna Meal has convinced bums from as far away as Michigan to plod the streets of Charleston in search of freebies for the last 20 years. They look like Zombies in the evenings here. But the idea of "pay what you can afford appeals to me. Maybe I can recoup some of the money taken from me at the point of a gun by the feds to give to the "homeless". As soon as this restaurant goes down that road, I'll be there like the Manna Meal crowd on Thanksgiving!

[genlock]

The way most of us are dressed, we could pose as homeless to get free meals at the mission.

Is Obama going to start giving away that great government cheese?