The national bakery and restaurant chain Panera Bread Company has opened a nonprofit restaurant in St. Louis that asks customers to pay what they want for a meal, the Associated Press reports.
If the restaurant, St. Louis Bread Company Cares, which is backed by the Panera Bread Foundation, can sustain itself financially, Panera will expand the model to other cities within months. While the foundation will cover the restaurant's expenses, including staff salaries, rent, and food costs, Panera will share its distribution system and national food suppliers with the restaurant. According to the AP, Panera will not bear any losses if the experiment fails.
Other organizations have opened community kitchens where customers set the price, including the One World Salt Lake City restaurant, which has been in business since 2003 and does not get overrun by crowds, said founder Denise Cerreta of One World Everybody Eats. "It somehow stays in balance," said Cerreta. "I think ultimately people are good. They want to contribute."
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