Going into the cafe today means being greeted by a well-oiled machine that involves more than 100 daily volunteers, many of whom work a weekly shift, and some of whom pay for their meals. All the volunteers work alongside actual paid staff, including Cheyanne,a community and de-escalation specialist who is the cafe’s community manager and volunteer door greeter (and conflict de-escalator).
The cafe’s goal is to treat people with love and respect, and all new staff are required to work alongside the volunteers, to ensure that they are a good fit. The staff begin at $19/hr, pegged as a “living wage” for this part of the country. Rent is also still at market rate. Consequently, only half of the cafe’s operating budget comes from receipts–the other half is still from individual, corporate, and religious donations. A yearly gala and daily fundraising at the cafe are also part of the model.
The Clientele
The cafe’s clientele are split down the middle–half pay the menu price or donate even more than their meal by doing a “pay it forward,” and half pay less or work off their food credits. The cafe has high ratings on both Google Maps and Yelp (the aforementioned 4.8) because Maggie continues to insist that it needs to compete as a restaurant and not just as a social endeavor.
More importantly, the clientele is made up of many returning customers, all of whom are made to feel cared for, by being greeted and acknowledged. Volunteers chat with everyone who comes in the door, explain the model, lead you to the counter where you can order, and bring you your food. Conversations happen constantly, while, at the same time, staff are trained to be alert for any potential arguments or difficulties. Communal eating, staff remembering the names of patrons, and all patrons being thanked and said goodbye to when they leave–these are all specific techniques that the cafe employs to keep its mission on point.
One of the key experiences of the cafe, according to Maggie, is that the poor and isolated, many of whom are invisible to all but a few aid workers on a daily basis, are now seen and acknowledged by the general population. While “creating a sense of community” is many times stated as an (eventually empty) goal that gets bandied about by urban planners, architects, and activists in proposals and mission statements, A Place At the Table has been able to do just that–by realizing that actual work by staff, and actual training of staff, are the only ways to create a community; you can’t just build out a “cool space” somewhere and hope that a community will magically adopt it. Maggie has chosen food as her tool to reach people and create a community; however, food isn’t the only tool that can create community.
There is a deeper challenge at work here, as well. With the greater popularity comes additional situations that require awareness and tact; for the cafe, Cheyanne is the key person–she uses kindness as her first and foremost tool, but lets other staff intervene when necessary, always with the goal of de-escalating any potential dangerous situation–especially since substance abuse and alcohol addiction are very prevalent.
Nonetheless, the cafe has seen many success stories, where volunteers and others in transition acquire transferable skills, can use the cafe as a reference, and simply gain confidence by their association with the cafe. The cafe offers culinary internships, not all of which work out, but some do. There is no silver bullet except hard work and dedication to the mission–and, even then, there are folks that don’t respond to the cafe’s mission.
Notes on the Future
As 2023 draws to a close, Maggie is looking forward to feeding more people, perhaps with a food truck or by helping others launch their own operation–always with the goals of solidifying and expanding the existing community that the cafe has fostered. But she cautions that every new venture needs to adjust to its local environment, and that every venture needs all kinds of partners and supporters–financial, physical, spiritual and otherwise.
This will be the challenge going forward in every major city that is struggling to “contain” or “ameliorate” its homeless and at-risk population challenges–how to bring these populations back into “mainstream” society, where they have the chance to feel self-worth, to interact again with society at large (since many of them had such interactions in the past), and to hopefully move beyond their current situation.
A Place At The Table is just one building block in a much more multifaceted solution, but there’s no reason that it can’t be duplicated in dozens of Downtowns in the country. It’s reducing the fear of “downtown blight” by not hiding, or removing, disadvantaged folks, but by bringing them out in the open and having them interact with people who might normally have a fear of interaction, or otherwise consider their presence to be a stain on the city, instead of an opportunity for interaction and community.
We wish Maggie all the best and we’d love to know what you think!
Links:
A Place At The Table: https://tableraleigh.org/
Maggie Kane TedTalk: www.ted.com/talks/maggie_kane_food_for_thought_choice_and_dignity
Boone’s F.A.R.M. Cafe: https://www.nccommunityfoundation.org/
List of other places with this model: https://www.oneworldeverybodyeats.org/find-a-cafe