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.
One World Everybody Eats is a national community of community cafés working to increase food security for all by providing a local approach to the global issue of hunger. The organization provides education, networking, and best practice sharing for nonprofit cafés; in order to, empower everyone to embrace the power of food to build community and serve their neighbors with dignity.
“We have found non-profit restaurants are 25% more successful than traditional restaurants,” says Julie Williams, President of One World Everybody Eats. “And active cafes in our network have an even higher rate of success.”
The organization boasts nearly 50 cafés in its network today. Among its cafés are S.A.M.E. Café in Denver, Colorado; the organizations longest running café in operation for over 13 years. Other cafés include F.A.R.M. Café in Boone, North Carolina which has operated for nearly 7 years; and Grace Café in Danville, Kentucky in operation for nearly 4 years. The organization has experienced significant growth in recent years as new cafés launch. New cafés include Open Door Café in Wytheville, Virginia; Thelma’s Café in Kansas City, Missouri; and A Place at the Table in Raleigh, North Carolina.
One World Everybody Eats encourages everyone considering serving their own community through a non-profit restaurant to get involved with its network of cafes. One World Everybody Eats offers resources to help you get started. Find out more at www.oneworldeverybodyeats.org.
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