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Australian vegan restaurant that had a ‘pay as you wish’ policy is closing
By An Australian vegan restaurant chain is closing its three Melbourne restaurants in St Kilda, Abbotsford Convent and Brunswick.
Lentil As Anything was famous for its “pay as you wish” policy where customers could leave whatever amount they wanted for their food.
The channel has been around for 21 years and sadly, it’s time to close its doors.
Writing on his Instagram page, Lentil As Anything said: “A few years ago, unable to lay bare the injustice and inequality around me, I decided to create a restaurant that would offer food and opportunities to everyone, without distinction.
“I think we did well. We gave strong evidence that kindness, trust and simple decency are capable of building trust between humans.
“Now I’m sad to say that lenses like everything will close on the 27th of this month.
“The circumstances we are facing have prevented us from continuing.”
They added: “Thank you to everyone who supported an idea that asked you not to be constrained by theories of mind but to activate with the opening of your hearts.
“There is much to celebrate and thank. Over the next ten days, come and share your stories and memories with us.
“We love you. It’s a pleasure affair with you.”
As well as being a restaurant that has helped donate food to local customers, Lentil As Anything has also been recognized as being a “cultural meeting space for the community” and they have also “worked for food seekers”. ‘asylum”.
Lentil As Anything founder Shanaka Fernando blamed their struggles on the coronavirus pandemic.
He said Large format that the government border closure policy that was put in place in March 2020 crippled their source of customers and staff.
“Backpackers and college students made up about 70% of our customer base, and they made up a similar number of the 5,000 volunteers we also needed each year to supplement our paid workforce,” Fernando said.
“But with the closure of the borders, our numbers have dropped considerably.
“We still provided about 100,000 free meals during the shutdowns, but we’re now in a position where our income doesn’t cover the cost of our expenses.”
When the pandemic first hit, they managed to raise $370,000 through a crowdfunding campaign, which was enough to get through the financial hardship.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t raise the $400,000 needed to keep the three Melbourne restaurants alive.