Voice 1 Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Robin Basselin. Voice 2 And I'm Adam Navis. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 3 "The human heart and its natural giving is the secret force behind Annalakshmi. There is nothing wrong with making money. But it is also nice to give in a way that does not seek something in return." Voice 4 "We do not give a bill at the end of a meal. We ask people to pay from their heart...If you eat today, the money you leave today provides for the person who comes to eat tomorrow. That is our idea and goal for Seva Café. It is an experiment that belongs to all people. So any person who comes in to Seva Café is then a part of Seva Café." Voice 1 Both of these quotes are from people who work for restaurants. These eating places are in different parts of the world. And they serve different kinds of food. Yet both of these restaurants share something in common.
Voice 2 Today's Spotlight is on the business method of these restaurants and their hope for a better world. Voice 1 Most restaurants all over the world work the same way. People come in to the restaurant and choose what they want to eat from a list of meals. The server provides for their needs during the meal. Then when people are finished eating, the server brings a bill showing the cost of the food.
Voice 2 But restaurants like Seva Café and Annalakshmi are trying a new method. Instead of telling people what the food costs, they suggest a price. Then people can decide if they will pay that price, more, less or even not at all.
Voice 1 But how can a restaurant be successful? They do not know how much money they will make. They do not even know if they will cover their costs. Annalakshmi restaurant is in Singapore. Ganesh Krishan is a manager there. He explained to the SF Weekly News why he thinks this method works.
Voice 3 "In any business, the goal is to have satisfied visitors. That is our goal as well. When you have satisfied visitors, they will return. That is the reason Annalakshmi is always full. Some people will pay less and some will pay more. The important thing is that they pay what they feel is right for them. In the end, it all balances out." Voice 2 With this business model, restaurant owners feel they can positively influence their local communities. Many people think these restaurants are a great idea. And they want to be involved with the good things the restaurant does. Some people even offer to work there for free. The Seva Café in Ahmedabad [ahm-da-vahd], India calls this a Circle of Giving. It describes this circle on its website: Voice 4 "Seva Café is an experiment in the shared joy that comes from giving and service. Volunteers cook our healthy meals and serve them with love. We offer these meals to people who come as a gift, paid for in full by past visitors. As more people get involved in the joy of giving, the more the experiment will have success. It begins with a single gift: first given, then received... increased, and given again, in growing acts of kindness and care. We hope this Circle of Giving leaves you feeling encouraged to carry the experiment forward." Voice 1 Brad Birky and his wife, Libby, love to cook. And they wanted to help stop the problem of hunger in Denver, Colorado. So they decided to start a restaurant. Like Annalakshmi and Seva Cafe, their restaurant does not charge a set price for food. Brad described their hopes for the restaurant to TIME Magazine.
Voice 5 "We believe that everyone deserves the chance to eat healthy food that is grown without chemicals. And everyone deserves to be treated with honor and respect. It does not matter if they are rich or poor." Voice 2 The Birky's named the restaurant So All May Eat. They decided to model it after another restaurant - the One World Café in Salt Lake City, Utah. Denise Cerreta started One World Cafe. She helped the Birky's begin their restaurant. Voice 1 Cerreta and the Birky's have many ways to keep costs low. One way is by growing their own food. This is how they decide what meals they will serve each day. The meals are based on the kinds of fresh food in the restaurant's farm. This means all the meals served in their restaurants are fresh and healthy.
Voice 2 Another way Cerreta keeps her restaurant costs low is reducing food waste. The restaurant puts all food waste in the compost. There it breaks down into soil. Then she can add it back to her farm. This keeps the farm's soil healthy for new food to grow. Cerrata believes this work could affect the problem of hunger in the whole world. She told MORE, an internet magazine, Voice 6 "We should get rid of waste in restaurants, farms, food stores and any place food is served or harvested. If we did this, I believe we would have enough food to feed the world." Voice 1 People who cannot pay anything for food are encouraged to give one hour of work to the restaurant. People can help by cleaning, cutting vegetables, or working in the garden. If Cerreta notices that people have not paid anything after many visits, she will talk to them.
Voice 2 But this system does not always work. One similar restaurant in New York City even had to change back to the usual pay system. Too many large groups of people came but did not pay anything at all.
Voice 1 Even with the many risks, there are restaurants like these beginning in many countries. The people who start them have big dreams and giving hearts. They use their restaurants to make changes in many areas of life.
Voice 2 Although many of their goals are different, each of these restaurants is making a change in the world. These restaurants encourage respect and trust in their communities. Like one worker at Seva Cafe said, Voice 4 "We also believe that you think globally, but you act locally. So you think about the changes you want to see in the world. Then you do something in the local space to make change happen." Voice 1 The writer of this program was Courtney Schutt. The producer was Mark Drenth. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. You can find this program and others on our website http://www.radio.english.net. You can also find Spotlight on Facebook at facebook.com/spotlightradio. This program is called "Restaurants for a Better World." We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye!
