Arlington cafe serves gourmet food and lets customers pay what they want

**Scottwax** · 03-24-2009, 09:30 PM

ARLINGTON â€“ In a homey, light-filled space near the University of Texas at Arlington, a restaurateur has opened an unusual lunchroom that has no printed menus and no set prices.

DAVID WOO/DMN

Chef Nick Amoriello makes a salad for Jackie Freeman at Potager, a pay-what-you-want cafe in Arlington.

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At Potager, Cynthia Chippindale`s 2-month-old restaurant on South Mesquite Street, patrons order what they`d like, eat the meal, and then pay what they think it was worth, discreetly placing cash in envelopes made from folded magazine pages.

On a recent weekday, customers were lined up around the chalkboard discussing menu choices with chef Nick Amoriello and sous-chef-in-training Ted Beechler.

Should they have the Guinness-glazed organic chicken or the pork shank with a side of sautÃƒ©ed mushrooms and onions in a red wine-cream sauce?

Amoriello plated an order of chicken with braised savoy cabbage and Granny Smith apples and handed it to a customer.

The house rule is to take as much as you want but only what you can eat. You`re welcome to come back for more. On the other hand, you may want to leave room for a house-made dessert such as Guinness chocolate cake with Baileys vanilla frosting (the dessert on St. Patrick`s Day).

I went there today. It was actually pretty good. Turkey meatloaf that was actually moist, mushrooms and tomatos, potato fingers and apple pie. The portions are small but you can go back for more if you wish. I kind of prefer their approach because most places put so much damn food on the plate you end up eating more than you should.

**Lumadar** · 03-24-2009, 10:13 PM

Very cool. Wish I was closer.

**imported_billzabub** · 03-25-2009, 06:33 AM

Really neat place. I hope people don`t take advantage and ruin a good thing.

**BobD** · 03-25-2009, 06:59 AM

Tons of places around here are doing that as well. Going out to eat is a luxury to most so they are doing what they need to do in a bad economy.

**imported_billzabub** · 03-25-2009, 07:13 AM

hey guys... what do you think - Pay what you want detailing servies!!! ugh... lol

**imported_weekendwarrior** · 03-25-2009, 07:13 AM

I saw a special on television about a gourmet restaurant that would allow people to work off their meal, if they couldn`t pay. If the customer didn`t have money, they were allowed to eat, then had to bus their own table, and sweep either a floor in a section of the restaurant, or the patio, or sidewalk.

**Mr. Clean** · 03-28-2009, 11:15 AM

Originally Posted by billzabub

Really neat place. I hope people don`t take advantage and ruin a good thing.

The report stated that patrons are paying @ $7 for @ $8 bucks of food (didn`t say if service/support costs were included or not). The owner(s) stated she was making payroll costs, and sounded optimistic (or was that hopeful) about the continued success of the operation.

**Scottwax** · 03-28-2009, 07:26 PM

Originally Posted by Mr. Clean

The report stated that patrons are paying @ $7 for @ $8 bucks of food (didn`t say if service/support costs were included or not). The owner(s) stated she was making payroll costs, and sounded optimistic (or was that hopeful) about the continued success of the operation.

I believe that $8 is the break-even point. When I went, there was a sign stating that some people are putting very little money in the envelopes and if it continued they couldn`t stay in business. They got some media exposure this past week, hopefully that helps.