The cafe seats 30 and there’s a no-tipping policy–staffers make a flat hourly wage. The menu changes weekly, and can range from Caribbean to Tex-Mex to Thai. A sample meal might include “A green salad with steamed kale, blue cheese, and dried cranberries; an entree of ginger-glazed fried chicken with mac-and-cheese, fried green tomatoes, and roasted vegetables; and apple cobbler for dessert,” reported Philly.com.
But it is taking some time for locals to warm up to the concept of the EAT Cafe. So far, the cafe, which opened on Oct. 26th, only served 125 meals in its first week. Mariana Chilton, who heads Drexel’s Center for Hunger-Free Communities, notes most community cafes lose money. The hope for EAT is that it will rely on grants for likely three years and hopefully be self-sustaining after that. But the point of EAT isn’t to make money; it’s to feed the hungry and low-income individuals in a humane way.
“It’s not going to reduce food insecurity in this neighborhood. It’s not going to end hunger in the [Mantua] Promise Zone,” Chilton said of EAT. “This is about creating a good feeling in the community. There’s a lot of shame and isolation that goes along with the experience of hunger. This is an opportunity to help people feel included.”
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