These Restaurants Are Letting Diners Set the Price for Dinner

Dear Pros,

Erika here. This summer, Norma Listman and Saqib Keval, the talented cofounders of acclaimed Mexico City restaurant Masala y Maíz, are organizing a global pay-what-you-can day for restaurants.

On Wednesday, August 26, more than 50 restaurants (and counting!) will operate with a pay-what-you-want pricing model for one day of service. No gimmicks. No budget menus. The food and service will remain the same, minus a bill presentation at the end. Diners can choose how much they'd like to pay for their meal. The only financial question asked is how much of that money should be earmarked for the tip.

"It becomes this act of mutual trust," Keval told me. "We're trusting you to pay what you can, and you're trusting us to not cheapen the experience."

Participants so far include 2022 F&W Best New Chef Rob Rubba's mostly vegetarian Oyster Oyster in Washington, D.C., and chef Paul Carmichael's Caribbean spot Kabawa in New York City — the best restaurant in America right now, as designated by Food & Wine's Global Tastemakers Awards.

I've been seeing more and more restaurants try this model over the past few years. In Minneapolis, Modern Times Cafe — now called Post Modern Times Cafe — permanently switched to a donation-based model earlier this year. 2025 F&W Best New Chef Telly Justice and Camille Lindsley have been offering a pay-what-you-can Sunday brunch at their fine dining restaurant HAGS since it opened four years ago. They expanded the idea into a series of pay-what-you-can pop-ups across the country this spring.

Admittedly, the idea doesn't fit neatly on a profit-and-loss sheet. However, Keval noted that it has actually been a stress reliever to stop staring at those spreadsheets for one day and be reminded of the power of hospitality untethered to a financial exchange.

"To remove that [financial] pressure for one day is such a breath of fresh air because it becomes so joyous and so exciting, and you'll see your dining room fill with a very different mix of people," said Keval.

Pros, what do you think of the pay-what-you-can model for restaurants? Have you participated in this, as either a diner or a restaurant owner? If so, what did you think of the experience? If not, what makes you hesitate? Let me know at the email below.

Take care,
Erika