A Place at The Table is Raleigh’s first pay-what-you-can cafe. Located off of Hargett Street in downtown Raleigh, the cafe is open to everyone regardless of how much they can pay.
The company’s mission is to provide community and good food to all regardless of means.
The non-profit cafe opens its doors for breakfast and lunch seven days a week. To accommodate anyone, they offer three different methods of payment: volunteering for your meal, paying a discounted price, or paying the suggested price. Customers may also pay it forward by donating a meal to someone else.
This cafe’s impact on the community would not be possible without its volunteers. Volunteers at A Place at The Table are responsible for most of the operations and the sense of community.
One of those volunteers is Leesville student Ben Cooper, junior. He spent his summer working with A Place at The Table, an experience he will never forget.
“I found this opportunity online because I was looking for a way I could make a difference in the Raleigh community,” said Cooper.
He was initially attracted to the cafe’s atmosphere as well as the mission. Cooper said, “I saw a lot of people there from all walks of life and a lot of people you could tell did not have food security or a place to stay and you could tell that the cafe really helped them out.”
During his shift, Cooper would do one of the different jobs offered to volunteers– washing dishes, working register, or delivering food.
Cooper was able to make many new friends and connections. After every shift, he felt more and more like part of the community.
“I feel like we live in a bubble in North Raleigh because a lot of people are more fortunate, and I just saw a lot of people who don’t live like that and it really changed my perspective.”
Cooper looks forward to returning to A Placed at The Table next summer.
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