Around the country, countless Black people struggle to get enough to eat. Whether because of food deserts or unemployment, it can be tough to get a delicious, nutritious meal.
But not in Brewton, Alabama – because of Drexel & Honeybee’s.
Delicious barbecued ribs, chicken and dumplings, mac and cheese, blueberry cobbler and more are on offer at the restaurant, founded by Lisa Thomas-McMillan in 2018. “People are poor. It’s a problem,” she says, and her mission is to feed them anyway.
How do they do it?
Patrons can eat whatever they’re serving up that day – and pay whatever they can, even if it’s nothing, into a donation box. You can’t tell who’s paying how much – which reduces the stigma associated with receiving a “charity” meal.
But how do they stay in business?
Some better-off customers pay extra to subsidize less fortunate customers’ meals. Local farmers and others donate. The city helped. And besides, they’re not in it for the money – rather than make a profit, they put all of the proceeds back into the restaurant.
Besides, they aren’t in it for the money.
Joining countless pay-what-you-can restaurants around the world, the communalism and love shown by Drexel & Honeybee’s shows that sometimes, building community is more important than making a profit!