Lentil As Anything, the pay-as-you-feel restaurant, is in need of financial support.
When your customers, on average, only spend the cost of a latte for a meal, staying afloat is going to be tough for any restaurant. However, for Lentil As Anything, stepping away from the pay-as-you-feel concept has just never been an option despite the mounting debt and monetary shortfalls it is experiencing this year.
Speaking to The Age, Professor Paul Komesaroff, the Lentil As Anything board chair, said ”revenue was down 90% compared to the same time last year” and the restaurant, with one venue in Newtown and another three in Melbourne, has only been able to remain afloat thanks to the generous support of many of their suppliers who have suspended payments. Those payments, though, along with rent and utilities, have reared their ugly heads and cannot be avoided for much longer.
Writing on their GoFundMe page, Lentils has explained that ”over the past six months, (they) have been able to feed thousands of people in need – through (their) restaurants in Melbourne and Sydney, and various food relief projects.” Essentially, Lentil As Anything has continued to support and feed the “very poor, marginalised, vulnerable people in the community”.
And for the past twenty years, this has included international students, travellers, out-of-work artists, pretty much anyone who was going through a rough patch.
Consequently, and in just a matter of days, Lentils has almost reached its target of $150,000, which it says will see them through till the time their venues can reopen for dining. People have been supporting the Lentils fundraiser with donations large and small, from as little as $10 to a $3000 donation. Currently, Lentil As Anything sits just $25,000 shy of their target.
To help save Lentil As Anything, visit their GoFundMe page and pledge your support today.
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(Featured image: @lentilsnewtown)