Jon Bon Jovi has opened a “pay what you like” restaurant in New Jersey to help out the poor.
At the JBJ Soul Kitchen at 207 Monmouth St, Red Bank, New Jersey, you can pay for your meal by doing charity work or if you have money make a donation for what you think it is worth.
“Times are tough and we understand,” it says at the sites website. “If you are unable to pay for your meal, you can volunteer at the Soul Kitchen as your payment”.
Those with no money are invited to volunteer to prepare food, wait on tables or wash and dry dished if they choose. Bon Jovi says he can’t cook, but he is often in the restaurant doing the dishes.
The way it works is explained at jbjsoulkitchen.org. “As you will see, our menu has no prices. You select what you like and make the minimum donation. If you can afford to donate more you are helping to feed your neighbor. If you are unable to donate, an hour of volunteering pays for your meal”.
The restaurant is housed in an old mechanic shop. The idea was inspired by a story on NBC News about the SAME (So All May Eat) restaurant in Denver.
The restaurant officially opened on Wednesday. “At a time when 1 in 5 households are living at or below the poverty level, and at a time when 1 out of 6 Americans are food insecure, this is a restaurant whose time has come. This is a place based on and built on community – by and for the community,” said Jon Bon Jovi that day.
The JBJ Soul Kitchen is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday between 5 and 7pm.
