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EAT Cafe, the pay-as-you-wish restaurant from Drexel, will close

Funding ran out, the university said in a statement about the restaurant designed to feed hungry people in West Philadelphia.

Valerie Erwin, the manager, slices turkey in the kitchen of Eat Cafe as chef Margie Felton cooks behind her.
Valerie Erwin, the manager, slices turkey in the kitchen of Eat Cafe as chef Margie Felton cooks behind her.Read moreKAIT MOORE / Staff Photographer

EAT Cafe — the West Philadelphia restaurant that addresses hunger by providing wholesome meals and asking customers to pay what they wish — will close in two weeks after about 2½ years.

In a statement, its main sponsor, Drexel University, cited rising costs of operations and a loss of funding. Drexel’s Center for Hunger-Free Communities was “exploring opportunities for other nutrition programming and partnerships,” it said.

EAT Café, whose name stands for “everyone at the table,” was founded as a joint effort of Drexel with backing from the Vetri Community Partnership.

Organizer Mariana Chilton, who heads the center, said at the time that she had seen similar cafes, most of which served cafeteria-style and were located in church basements. She and fellow organizers enlisted a designer and fitted out a restaurant at 3820 Lancaster Ave. in the Mantua section to serve three-course, seated meals four days a week — now three days a week, Wednesday to Friday. The idea was not only to mitigate hunger and food insecurity,. but to bring people together over a shared meal.

But less than a half-year after EAT opened, it was clear that customers were not flocking in. Additional corporate donations, which had been promised for three years, were not forthcoming.

The current menu now lists assorted entrees and their suggested prices, including spinach and sausage lasagna ($16), jerk vegetable platter ($14), and seared salmon cakes with rice pilaf and sauteed broccoli ($17).

Last day of service will be April 19.