Feeding the Rich to Feed the Poor
You already know IT likes to eat. You also know that we like to do so on the cheap, if possible. And while we certainly enjoyed saving on delicious meals during Washington’s just-passed Restaurant Week, we’re fascinated by a new way to feel good about dining out that has taken hold in one of our favorite eating cities: Montreal.
Since the end of July, Montreal’s Robin des Bois restaurant (named for Sherwood Forest‘s most well-known resident) has been doing good deeds by serving good food. The restaurant’s goal is to donate all of its proceeds to charity, and in order to keep that amount as high as possible, almost none of their workers receive payment. The chefs (led by former Toqué!
denizen Myriam Pelletier) and managers are paid, but all serving, bussing, prepping and cleaning is done by the 1,500 volunteers (some of them celebrities) who have registered and signed up for shifts on the restaurant’s website.
According to a recent interview, the restaurant is so far only breaking even. But when they do turn a profit, the money will go to support six local charities, including women’s shelters, youth organizations, and a meals-on-wheels program.
There has even been talk of a TV show about the restaurant. We don’t live close enough to take on dicing duty, but IT volunteers to eat the next time we’re on the Main.
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