A Restaurant Built for the Community

Abstract

There is a clear need for community centers and outreach programs in which members of the community can be provided with needed resources. A common problem within these programs is their struggle to be successful financially. This project was conducted as a possible solution to this problem, focusing on questions related to how a restaurant could be designed that serves delicious food and that provides support and aid similar to a community center. Other aspects of this project, such as whether a restaurant could use parts of its profits for activities that help the community through organizing fundraisers, community-based programs like food drives or career guidance, and monetary and essential item donations were explored. Allowing other community agencies to educate patrons about their services while providing meals simultaneously were also considered. Research determined, both from a restaurant business perspective and from the perspective of community-based needs, whether such a restaurant can exist financially and be successful in both roles. Research examined the business models of restaurants as well as community centers and reviewed models of existing culinary establishments that have been successful in supporting the community. The results of the research conducted will be a formatted business plan that will be used to create a hypothetical model of a financially stable restaurant that also provides resources similar to a community center