Welcome to Annalakshmi. Diners "eat as you like and pay as you feel." There is no set price. Any payments are voluntary with all proceeds going towards the humanitarian and artistic activities of the Temple of Fine Arts. These vegetarian restaurants are located in Malaysia (the first one started in 1984), India, Singapore, Australia - with plans for one in San Francisco, according to this update. This international chain augments the dining experience by showcasing Indian arts, handicrafts, cultural dance and music performances.
Being the MBAs that we were, we tried to figure out the business case of running a restaurant that's 100% based on charity: Where would you locate it? How do you cover costs? How do you motivate and "compensate" volunteers? How do you ensure the quality of the overall experience, food and service? Is this concept sustainable? (It's proven to work for one-time fundraisers) Will those who can (and want to) subsidise those who can't (or won't?!)Other food for thought:
From here: Annalakshmi provides food for the soul by offering a wholesome home-cooked good meal for all. The name refers to the Hindu Goddess of Plenty and the adage that "the Guest is God." The restaurants are largely run by voluntary staff that include retired civil servants, women from broken homes, executives and doctors who believe that serving and preparing food is the ultimate blessing.
From here: Businesses usually wait until they've made a profit to think about giving to society, but we started giving from the start. There are tables who can pay, and those who can't, so what we provide is a form of table-to-table charity. And the people who work with us do so for the satisfaction, not the reward. It's hard to run a business on goodwill. But having faith in humanity has paid off: the restaurants have a huge, regular following [who] pay with satisfaction and keep coming back. There is a price for everything in today's world, but you can't put a price on the love and the food you get here.
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