Across the country, restaurants and cafés are serving up a dose of ethics along with their mains, side orders and desserts. Increasingly, social responsibility and community inclusiveness are becoming a normal part of dining out.
Being an integral part of the community has always been a priority for Lisa Moore, co-founder of Vancouver's Rhizome Café. The restaurant rents out part of its space to social groups and plays host to forums and workshops.
For its one-year anniversary over the summer, Ms. Moore created a lentil dish with the intention of feeding the large crowd that attended the celebration. It proved to be a hit, so she decided to put it on the menu.
However, she introduced the dish as part of a social experiment. Instead of slapping a set price on the stew - which is made with green lentils, sun-dried tomatoes and mint - she and her partner priced the dish "pay what you feel."
The concept is different than "pay what you can" in that Ms. Moore wants diners to assess carefully what they think the meal is worth when ingredients, labour, service and their own personal income are considered. Customers pay anonymously at the till.
"What we're trying to do with it is create a system where people are thinking about each other as they're deciding what to pay, thinking about how to support each other so that anyone who walks through that door can eat that food regardless of their ability to pay for it," she said.
So far, the dish is proving popular, which Ms. Moore thinks is a result of it being tasty but also innovative.
"People are excited about participating in this kind of experiment," she said.
Ms. Moore won't reveal how much money has been made from the dish, as she doesn't want to influence how much people will pay for it.
"As soon as we start talking about averages, that'll influence people's decisions and people's feeling about what they're able to pay for it," she said.
She added that the restaurant hasn't lost any money by serving the dish.
At the Carleton University campus in Ottawa, the Garden Spot café is a food collective run by volunteers. It offers students healthy vegan breakfasts and lunches that are sold by donation.
The collective gets much of its funding through a $2 student levy. The money is used to rent kitchen space, while the food is overstock donated from a local grocery store.
"It's all stuff that would just get thrown out," volunteer Sara Pishva said.
"That's just one grocery store in the city and it's enough food to feed hundreds of people a week."
The collective aims to be inclusive and makes all its food nut-free and at least one dish a day gluten-free, so it's accessible to people with allergies.
Ms. Pishva said some people feel they shouldn't eat there because they are financially stable. She stressed that's not a problem.
"I think there's a bit of a stigma attached to free food and I think that's one of the challenges that we face," she said.
"We're just trying to let people know that they really are welcome no matter who you are or what you do, they're welcome to come."
At the Elbow Room in Vancouver, giving back to the community is a priority for the owners and the clientele. Diners are warned that if a meal is not finished they must make a donation to A Loving Spoonful, which provides free meals to people living with HIV and AIDS in Vancouver.
The restaurant, which is known for its gruff but well-meaning servers, has raised more than $51,000 since 1993.
Co-owner Patrick Savoie said they've never had someone refuse to donate.
"I think the majority of people who come to the Elbow Room are very much aware of HIV or any other diseases that are in the community, both gay and straight," he said.
"I think they're aware of the work the Loving Spoonful does."
Mr. Savoie, who noted his Roman Catholic upbringing, said giving was always instilled in him and that it's simply extended into his business.
"I was raised that you give to others what you're not going to use ... I think when you give, you're going to get back in return."
