Raleigh's first pay-what-you-can cafe expanding

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Raleigh's first pay-what-you-can-cafe announced it is expanding into a neighboring space with more seating, a professional kitchen and more volunteering opportunities.

Since opening in Jan. 2018, A Place at the Table has served more than 9,000 meals to those in need.

Founder Maggie Kane's vision for the project is "not to function like a soup kitchen, but to create a space where all are welcome, come together at the table as a community, and are served with dignity and respect."

How it works:

Guests can pay the suggested menu price, donate to someone else's meal, pay what they can or make up for the meal with volunteer hours.

A Place at the Table currently serves breakfast and lunch only but will offer a more robust menu with the expansion along with more jobs and training opportunities for guests who want to volunteer.

"It has always been important to us to offer a menu and overall restaurant experience that is appealing and accessible to every demographic," explained Kane, highlighting one of the critical differences between APATT and most pay-what-you-can cafés.

"We see ourselves as a restaurant contributing to Raleigh's thriving food scene as much as a destination for those who are food-insecure," said Kane, emphasizing APATT's need for a strong culinary team and competitive menu.

According to A Place at the Table, the cafe has 40 to 50 people volunteer on any given day.

"We are humbled by how generous Raleigh has been - first in helping us to open in 2018, and since, through grants, daily volunteer shifts and simply by making APATT your destination for breakfast and lunch. We're grateful they're playing a part in helping us to achieve our goal to make sure everyone in this community has a place at the table," explained Kane.

A Place at the Table is open Tuesday through Sunday.