What could possibly make eating delicious food better? Eating delicious food whose purchase benefits the community, of course! In the city of Philadelphia, poverty and hunger are on the rise. In fact, the historic city has the highest poverty rate of America’s ten largest cities. What can you do to help? Pay it forward at one of these three Philadelphia restaurants.
1. Rooster Soup Company
Philadelphia’s favorite chicken and donut shop, Federal Donuts, has a sister restaurant set to open this January. The owners of Federal Donuts along with the Broad Street Ministry have teamed up to serve delicious food whose net proceeds will go towards fighting hunger. After expenses, every penny of profit made at Rooster Soup Company will benefit the Broad Street Ministry Hospitality Collaborative.
The new restaurant’s Southern-inspired menu will be served from 8 am to 8 pm. Rooster Soup Company’s charitable mission doesn’t mean compromising the taste of the menu’s offerings. Customers should expect a breakfast menu that includes homemade chorizo, grits, and egg specials. Lunch will be centered around the soups like a smoked matzo ball variety and will be accompanied by several unique sandwich selections. For dinner, expect nightly blue plate specials and pie and shake varieties for dessert.
2. EAT Café
“Pay what you can” is the instruction of the charitable cafe in West Philadelphia. EAT Café, which stands for “everyone at the table,” is dedicated to providing hungry members of the community with high quality and nutritious meals. The organization’s belief is that everyone should have the right to healthy, tasty meals regardless of socioeconomic status.
EAT works just like any other restaurant. That is until the check comes and customers are given the option to either pay the suggested price, pay nothing, pay what they can, or pay more to benefit those who can not.
The menu, which is served Wednesday through Saturday from 4:30 until 8 pm, changes weekly based upon available seasonal ingredients. Three courses are offered and typically consist of a soup or salad, entree, and dessert. With the support of grants and generous customers, Eat cafe is changing food insecurity in Philadelphia.
3. Rosa’s Fresh Pizza
Rosa’s simple pay-it-forward business plan is taking the country by storm; it even caught the attention of Ellen Degeneres (check out her interview with ownerMason Wartman). Rosa’s slices are priced at $1 and each customer is invited to purchase dollar slices for patrons experiencing homelessness.
The walls of Rosa’s Fresh Pizza are not adorned with typical pizza parlor decor, but with Post-It notes bearing the messages of pizza donors. Those who can not afford a slice at Rosa’s are never turned away; they’re given a meal and short messages of encouragement. You can count on a consistent, crispy-crust slice with every trip to Rosa’s. Great pizza and even better cause; talk about a win-win.
Feeding the hungry and sampling delicious foods can go hand-in-hand thanks to these three restaurants. You can turn your love of eating out into a charitable act at one of these Philadelphia locations.