You step up to the counter, order your soup and sandwich, but instead of being told the price you must pay, you are simply handed a receipt with the suggested price for your meal. You walk past the cashier, pick up your order, and proceed to the donation box at the end of the line. How much will you put in the box? The suggested price? More than what your meal was quoted for? Or less?

If you are a customer at the St. Louis Bread Company, a new non-profit community café supported by Panera Bread, this is just the situation you will encounter. The idea is pay what you wish. According to CEO Ron Shaich, this is not just another social responsibility publicity scheme for the growing franchise-- the intentions of Panera here are true. They are looking to provide meals for those who truly cannot afford it with the support of others who can spare a little extra change, all while having everyone dine in the same location. The new café opened up in Clayton, Missouri and is the first of what Shaich hopes to be many community cafés located near other Panera Bread restaurants across the country. With plans to expand the concept if it encounters success, there is still no official word on where the next community café will set up shop. For those wondering what the possibilities might be here locally, the nearest East Bay Panera establishments are in Hayward and Alameda.

Community cafés and kitchens are growing, yet they rely on regular customers—both paying and non-paying—in order to be successful. These are not your typical soup kitchens, they are meant to bring together community members as they break bread and in some cases, help each other out. One non-profit, One World Everybody Eats (OWEE), which operates its own pay what you wish restaurant in Salt Lake City, is helping others bring this practice to their communities. OWEE provides resources, including business plan guides, for those who want to start up their own community kitchens. The opportunities to “pay what you wish” may become more frequent if the momentum of OWEE and companies like Panera continues to grow.