Pay what you can afford. Pay it forward. Koha. It's all the same. We want our meals to be accessible to everyone and for cost not to be a barrier to having a delicious meal in a social environment. All contributions are greatly received (and very much needed for us to keep our doors open). Funds go towards our fixed costs such as rent, utility bills and core staff who support our volunteers.
If you're not sure how much to pay, we think $20-$30 per person is good value for a three-course meal and also means you're paying it forward for people less fortunate. Any amount, however big or small, is welcome.
We accept cash, eftpos and payments online through our pay-at-your-table system. Please note that payment for our pay-what-you-can meals is considered koha by the IRD and therefore not eligible for a tax deductible donation receipt. If you'd like to make a charitable donation, please use our website Donate page or get in touch.
Payment in the restaurants in exchange for a meal is not considered a donation by the IRD. It is also 0 rated for GST. To get a receipt you will need to send proof of payment and make a request to info@everybodyeats.nz, stating which restaurant you ate at and when.
Only payments made outside of the restaurant are eligible for donation receipts. When you donate through our website you will automatically be emailed a receipt that is tax deductible, or you can contact us if you wish to make a donation by bank transfer.
Everybody Eats was founded in June 2017. We first operated out of Gemmayze St restaurant on K'Road, before moving to our current permanent premises.
Yes. The Everybody Eats Charitable Trust has been a Registered NZ Charity since December 2018. Our Charities Number is CC56055.
We have intentions to increase our reach and impact through setting up other pay-what-you-can restaurants or Everybody Eats initiatives in other cities, but at this stage we are not sure how this will look or when. For new restaurants, we need to secure a suitable venue, reliable food source and funding to open.
No. We welcome and encourage everyone to come for a meal. Many of our guests are not facing financial insecurity and pay for their meals, like they would at another restaurant. By coming for a meal you are also helping to prevent food waste and build community connections. We encourage everyone to come along!
No. We can only feed people experiencing hardship because we have paying customers who contribute enough to allow us to feed others. Reflecting diverse communities inside our restaurants and removing social barriers is what makes our restaurants different and special. Every week we see people from different backgrounds engaging with each other, building trust and strengthening the community whilst also helping to reduce food waste.
Probably yes. We always have a complete 3 course vegetarian option and on most nights can provide at least 2 courses for vegans, but we do not guarantee it. Because of the nature of the food we receive we also can't always cater to all allergies/dietaries. However, our experienced chefs can very often provide gluten free, dairy free and nut free meals. For more severe dietary requirements, we advise you contact the restaurant in advance (after 3pm once the menu is published) and speak to your server when you arrive.
We offer an eat-in service, which is part of our mission to build community connections. However, you can ask to takeaway leftovers after completing at least one course. We also sometimes have leftover meals from the night before. You can ask a server if any are available. If you do plan to take part of your meal away please bring your own containers.
No., we do not allow alcohol at restaurants or any drinks from outside. If we suspect you are intoxicated we may refuse entry.
Yes, for groups of 4 or more. These can be booked on the individual restaurant pages. However, we primarily cater to walk-ins and serve people on a first come, first served basis. Sometimes we can get very busy, so there can be a wait, especially if you are dining in a group of 4 or more.
It's very easy, you can register here. Fill out the form, verify your email, complete your profile and you'll be helping us feed bellies, not bins in no time!
No, but most of the people you'll find working in our restaurants are. We employ a few people to manage our massive team of volunteers and to enable us to provide consistent quality meals.
Fantastic! Please contact us here to talk about partnership opportunities or visit our donate page. You can donate regularly or as a one-off. Every donation makes a difference.
If you have commercial (not residential) surplus food that is still fit for human consumption we'd love to hear from you, contact us here.
Please note we can take products passed their 'best before' but not 'use-by' date.
We receive donations of perfectly good food primarily from businesses and other food rescue charities. It may be short dated, labelled wrong or they might just have ordered too much. Here are some of the organisations we work with: KiwiHarvest, New World, Daily Bread, Kaibosh, Lewis Road, Karma Cola. We also buy a small amount of food if we don't have exactly what we need, so we can create complete three course meals. Please note, we do not use food scraps in any of our meals. All our food is good quality and complies with safety standards.
