37. Free Food

My favorite place to eat when I'm in St. Louis is the St. Louis Bread Company (aka Panera Bread). They used to sell a Tuscan Chicken sandwich that was a jam for a long time. I still mess with the Greek Salads.

I never went as often as I'd have liked because I'm not one to drop $10 on lunch every day. But now comes news that Panera is opening a non-profit version of Bread Co. in Clayton, a well-off suburb of St. Louis. Instead of prices, the items have suggested donations. And instead of paying a cashier, you leave the money in a donation jar. Customers can pay as much or as little as they'd like.

I actually think this is a pretty cool idea. It's not a soup kitchen, and the money doesn't go to charity necessarily, but it makes it possible for folks to walk in, get a good meal, leave what they can, and go on with their day. If there were a neighborhood where public transportation, and grocery stores and restaurants all worked this way, it'd be a interesting kind of social experiment.

I'm afraid it would only be possible in fairly affluent neighborhoods though. I remember KFC's unfortunate free chicken promotion a couple years ago. Folks were literally running off free chicken coupons at Kinko's and standing in line for hours to get a free meal. I can't imagine how much money KFC lost on that one. Or how much Panera might lose if there were lines of folks out the door to get their "free" Tuscan Chicken sandwiches.

I also think I might have a hard time with the "Leave your fair share" part of it. If "fair" isn't the suggested donation, I'm not sure what it is. If I left anything less than that, I'd probably feel like a jerk. And if I left more, I might feel like a chump, since the money isn't going to kids with cancer or anything, but just to keep the restaurant open. Might be easier to go to a regular restaurant, pay the price, and have my meal anxiety-free.

Now if there were a non-profit spot with set prices where all the surplus went to charity, I could see myself going there a lot. And feeling really good about my $10 sandwich and salad.