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For one potentially new Albuquerque nonprofit restaurant, what you could pay should correspond to what you get.
Food Karma is looking for a potential location in the city. The nonprofit restaurant, which is currently in the planning process, would have a counter service and a donation box, which would allow restaurantgoers to pay what they can for the meal anonymously and judgment-free.
Food Karma President David Wade McCullough said he estimates about one in five people will pay a little extra for their meal.
“It helps to subsidize a meal indiscriminately for someone who can’t pay or even for someone who refuses to pay,” he said.
This system will create a sense of community, where all of Albuquerque can come to gather, said Kendra Crooks, a UNM film student who is also head of media and promotions for Food Karma.
“I think if they’re initially shocked by the concept, they’ll come to realize it is a viable system, and someone can come in who has not a penny on them and have a meal next to somebody who is able to pay a little extra for theirs,” Crooks said. “And I think that once people realize the system does actually work, it will become more popular among the poorer population, the college kids and even the artists and the well-off people in this district.”
The group is using Kickstarter, an online crowd-sourcing platform, to raise $50,000 to start the restaurant.
McCullough said his team chose the platform because it allows people to back the project but to only donate if the project reaches its full goal within the projected time period. He said patrons can donate to Food Karma until Dec. 18.
“It’s an all or nothing, pay-it-forward concept, which links directly to the whole concept of Food Karma in the first place,” he said “It’s kind of like surveying the community, getting a feel for if they would like to see something like this.”
The project is currently 13 days into its funding, with a little under $3,000 in support, he said. The minimum donation is $1, but a higher donation will give backers some perks.
For example, a pledge of $25 gets a cake delivered to you in celebration, while a pledge of $2,500 garners a private three-course meal in the restaurant for up to 10 people.
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If the nonprofit fails to meet its goals on Kickstarter, it will likely start out with something smaller, such as a food truck, McCullough said.
McCullough first came up with the idea for Food Karma when living in Australia and volunteering at a restaurant called Lentil as Anything, which is based on a similar concept. Though he was initially skeptical of the model, he realized how it brought people from all walks of life together, which he hopes will happen here.
However, both McCullough and Crooks admitted they are a little worried about whether or not the concept of the restaurant will work in Albuquerque. Though she was initially a bit cynical and skeptical about the idea, Crooks said she soon became excited about it.
“I’m a little worried, because our homeless population is pretty bad,” she said. “But we also have a lot of really great people who want to see a change in that. And I think by using the medium of food, we can. It’s a gamble, but so far it has worked in other places … so I’m willing to take the risk.”
Inspiration for Food Karma’s global cuisine came from his experience working beside volunteers from all over the world in Australia, McCullough said. Their food will be sourced primarily by local growers, with a menu featuring seasonal ingredients, he said.
About eight out of the 10 dishes will be vegetarian to serve a wider audience, he said.
If they make their goal, Food Karma will be set to open in May in the University Heights area, Crooks said. She said it would aim to serve the student population, the artist population and the lower-income areas of Albuquerque.
“We really want it to be a place where people feel comfortable sharing art, music,” she said. “We have some really talented folks in this area that just don’t have a place to play or a place to hang their art, so I think it could really be another place where people can thrive as an artist.”
