Cafe's patrons pay what they think meal is worth or work to pay tab

Published: 2007-07-09

DENVER (CNS) -- If Jesus opened a restaurant, it might resemble Denver's 8-month-old SAME Cafe -- a priceless joint where all the food is made from scratch and anyone's welcome to eat regardless of ability to pay. SAME stands for "So All May Eat." But it's not a soup kitchen, by any stretch. With organic menu items such as "garlic and feta" or "eggplant and roasted red pepper" pizza, the menu leaves no yuppies behind. Yet neither the rich nor the poor see a price attached to anything. Instead, all customers see a donation box on the counter. They are asked to consider what the meal was worth and to pay what they can. Those who cannot pay are asked to consider busing tables after dining, or helping in some other way. Sometimes, families with children are found washing dishes after a classy restaurant meal the parents normally couldn't afford. Brad and Libby Birky, who opened the cafe last fall, have no system for policing their "pay-at-will or volunteer" system.

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