A Place at the Table
Where Everyone is Welcome to Share a Meal
Feeling hungry? There is a place in Raleigh with great food and friendly people, and, best of all – you can get a meal even if you can’t afford to pay for it. A Place at the Table opened in January 2018 as Raleigh’s first pay-what-you-can café.
Maggie Kane is A Place at the Table’s founder and executive director. She graduated from NC State and began working for a nonprofit that helped people experiencing homelessness. “I got to know so many folks at the shelter and hear about their hopes and dreams,” Maggie says. “I realized that there were great nonprofits helping people with homelessness and there were also great for-profit restaurants. But there was no place that welcomed everyone, that broke down barriers and brought people together.”
As she began to do some research, she found the pay-what-you-can model. “I knew that if places across the country could make this system work, we could do it in Raleigh, too. We opened six years ago and have been here ever since as a pay-what-you-can restaurant.”
A Place at the Table serves breakfast, brunch, and lunch. Delicious meals prepared by trained chefs include everything from sausage biscuits to black bean melts. Customers have multiple options to pay based on their ability:
- Pay the suggested price
- Pay at least $3 for a meal
- Pay using a PLACE Card that has been donated by someone
- Pay by volunteering at least one hour in the cafe
A Place at the Table is Raleigh’s first pay-what-you-can café offering great food and friendship to everyone who walks through the doors.
More than 200,000 meals have been served at A Place at the Table to people experiencing poverty. “It’s been absolutely incredible. About 150 to 200 people come in every day to get a meal,” Maggie says. “Hunger is a huge issue in our city, and we see more and more folks who need a meal and need community.”
A Place at the Table was chosen as Kelly Clarkson’s Good Neighbor of the Year for 2023. A Place at the Table received nationwide recognition through the Kelly Clarkson Show when she chose the nonprofit as a Good Neighbor of the Month. “They learned about us online and Kelly thought that what we are doing was awesome,” Maggie says. “I went on the show and told our story and was so grateful to receive a check for $10,000. Then a few months later, we got another call to let us know we had been selected as Good Neighbor of the Year. Out of 12 nonprofits Kelly had highlighted, we were lucky to be the winner and receive a $100,000 check!”Those funds will be used to continue the good work of A Place at the Table and Maggie has plans to open a food truck to extend their outreach in the Raleigh area.
Maggie connected with TowneBank through Matt Davis, North Carolina president. “I met Matt, and then we started banking with Towne. We love Towne and have a great banking relationship. It’s really nice to know your banker. We are so thankful for a local bank that has our back and has supported us over the years. They bend over backward to help us.”
Next time you are near downtown Raleigh, stop by A Place at the Table. “Come eat with us or host a meeting here. We would love to see you,” Maggie says. Learn more at TableRaleigh.org.