An iconic Footscray social enterprise could close its doors unless the community steps in and digs a little deeper.
Lentil As Anything, a not-for-profit “pay what you feel” restaurant, is feeling the pinch after a lean winter.
A recent Friday night in which volunteers dished up more than 150 meals returned an average payment of only $1 per plate.
Restaurant manager Renae Burt said Lentil As Anything was there for her when she needed it and she was pleased to be able to return the favour.
“The thing that brings me back is the sense of belonging,” she said.
“It’s a really great community here – everyone is so welcoming and it’s something bigger than any individual.”
Operations manager Katrina Webb said the restaurant was always happy to feed people in need for free or a token amount, but she would like people who might be in a position to pay a little more to consider adding at least an extra gold coin.
“What we say is, ‘Pay what you feel the whole experience is worth’ – the food is part of that, but so too is the music, the shelter and the smiling faces,” she said.
Lentil As Anything’s first restaurant opened in St Kilda in 2000, followed by the Abbotsford Convent in 2005 and the Footscray restaurant, in the former Barkly Hotel, in 2009.
Ms Webb said the Footscray site remained crucial given the social needs in the area.
“We have the ability to feed people and give them a reprieve from the cold – something with a bit more dignity than a food van,” she said.
“We love our Footscray restaurant. There is an amazing team of volunteers. Often they are coming to us at a difficult time in their lives and we help them with friendship and support. We like to give them a leg up and we get some amazing outcomes.”
Ms Webb said Footscray’s Lentil As Anything has always been subsidised by other sites, but that the drain was becoming difficult to sustain.
“We do need people who can to dig a little bit deeper,” she said. “Even if they add a couple of dollars – it doesn’t sound like a large amount but if half our patrons can do that it will make a big difference.”
She is encouraging anyone who might not have visited Lentil as Anything before to drop in for lunch, dinner or Sunday brunch.
“Come in and absorb the big picture of what it’s all about and just pay what you would have paid at any other restaurant.”
