Jon Bon Jovi Opens Pay-What-You-Want Restaurant, The Soul Kitchen

Rocker Jon Bon Jovi has opened a pay-what-you-want restaurant in Red Bank, New Jersey.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on October 22 2011

Jon Bon Jovi may not be livin’ on a prayer these days—but he’s offering help to those who are.

The rock star and his wife Dorothea have just spent $250,000 to launch The Soul Kitchen, a restaurant based on a “pay-what-you-can” concept, in Red Bank, New Jersey. At the restaurant, patrons can chow down on delicious comfort food like cornmeal-crusted catfish with red beans and rice without paying a fixed price. Diners pay only what they can afford. If they can’t afford anything, that’s no problem: They can help out with the restaurant instead.

“There’s no prices on our menu, so if you want to come and you want to make a difference, leave a $20 in the envelope on the table,” Bon Jovi told the Associated Press. “If you can’t afford to eat, you can bus tables, you can wait tables, you can work in the kitchen as a dishwasher or sous chef.”

The Soul Kitchen is intended as an alternative to traditional soup kitchens: The food is healthy and locally-grown, and all patrons are treated with dignity and respect.

The new venture is important to Bon Jovi, and he’s willing to walk the walk to support the restaurant: You might find him washing dishes in the kitchen on any given day. He won’t be whipping up the main courses, though: “I can’t cook worth a lick,” he says.

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Celebrities, Non-Profits,

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