Day 90: Corporate turns Charity

Big corporations get to me a bit.  When it all seems about making a buck, and less about the impact they are making here and around the world, I start to get a little wary.  Not only that, but suddenly an area that once was unique, is instead an identical Main Street to every other major metropolitan and suburban shopping hub.  You know the regulars.  Party City.  Circuit City.  Best Buy.  Target.  Marshals.  Toy'R'Us.  Come shop here, where all your hearts' desires can be met, cheaply.  

But here is a story of one corporation, a food chain, that seems to have stepped out of their corporate office, walked down to the street level, and looked their customers in the eyes.    They saw communities of financially-stable individuals.  Communities of financially-insecure individuals.  All hungry, looking for a meal.  They didn't flinch at what they saw.  Instead, they thought creatively about how they could serve all of their customers fairly.  Here is the story, found at USA Today.
 
"Panera Bread will open a nonprofit restaurant Monday in Portland where customers can pay what they wish for food.

It's the third "Panera Cares" community cafe for the company and its first West Coast location.

Panera opened community cafes last year in Clayton, Mo., and Dearborn, Mich. The restaurants are owned and operated by a nonprofit arm of the national restaurant chain, which receives no profit from the business.

"In some ways it is a test for humanity," said Ron Shaich, founder of Panera who launched the concept for the company. "Will people step up and help each other or will they take advantage?"

So far, people have stepped up. Panera said about 20% of the visitors to the cafes leave more than the suggested amount, 20% leave less and 60% pay what is suggested.

Those who are not able to pay anything do not have to, but the cafe suggests they volunteer their time in support of the organization.

"This is not about a handout," Shaich said. "This is about a hand up, and every one of us has a need for that at some point in our lives."

There are a number of other independent community kitchen formats already in existence around the country such as those in Denver and Salt Lake City. Panera, however, is one the first chain restaurants to make the leap.

The company is converting an existing Panera restaurant in the Hollywood neighborhood into the community cafe format. Panera looked at a number of potential sites around the country but said that it felt the "sensibility" of Portland suited the project. The company also tries to place restaurants in economically diverse neighborhoods that can support the format.

If there is excess revenue, Shaich said it will be reinvested in the community such as using the cafe as a work-training site for at-risk youth.

"I think the people of Portland will do the right thing," Shaich said.

Shaich said he would like to open more community cafes but must see first if the existing sites prove self-sustainable."

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