The Human Insight Behind a Restaurant That Promises Not to Make Any Money

A new restaurant in Manhattan called the ​Community Kitchen​ is doing a pilot test through November of a business model where people choose to pay what they can for a fine dining experience. The restaurant promises to use sustainable locally farmed ingredients, offer their workers a high wage and predictable hours, and a dining experience that rivals that of other establishments which might charge $100 a plate for a meal.

The dinner pricing is based on a fixed-menu meal on a sliding scale: $15 for lower income, $45 for middle incomes, and $125 for people who can afford it. While this pay-what-you-can model isn't new, ​there's an interesting insight​ behind how they have chosen to implement it:

"The concept of “pay what you can” isn’t new, though it has often meant uncomfortable exchanges at the register. “It turns into a humiliating negotiation for the payer and the payee,” Bittman says. By paying online in advance—or eventually through apps—diners won’t have to ask publicly for a lower price."

It's fascinating to think that the barrier for an idea like this to survive might be something as basic as embarrassment about what price you might reasonably be expected to pay. If this pay-ahead method can solve that, perhaps a concept like this could survive.

Given that it's structured as a short-term test for a few months, and founder + NY Times columnist Mark Bittman has other ideas to support, it is an interesting experiment to watch ... if you happen to be in NY, perhaps one to try for yourself too.