(I wanted to do this as a MetaFilter post, but since the subjects are friends of mine, that is verboten. If you think it’s interesting and have a MeFi account, please post it there!)
A while back my friends James and Rachel, along with some of their friends, were looking for a place to eat in Holyoke. Not satisfied with the available options, they decided to create their own restaurant. This was born Bring Your Own Restaurant (BYOR).
This isn’t a restaurant as you usually think of one. The restaurant is assembled by the patrons, all bringing their own dishes and silverware (disposable items are actually frowned on, as the desire is not to produce extra trash) and food. Tables and chairs are set up in abandoned places in the city, and anyone is welcome to attend.
This isn’t just a potluck or tailgate. Holyoke is seen as a dead and dangerous city with no present and less future. That these events take place outdoors, in public spaces, open to all, declares that the community is alive and welcoming.
People are starting to take note of BYOR. It was covered in Edible Pioneer Valley (links to PDF file) magazine, and featured on local NPR station WFCR (and then picked up by the national station).
It’s a great idea and I am embarrassed and disappointed that I haven’t attended yet, but I will certainly do so next season.
(To find out more about Bring Your Own Restaurant, visit their website or Facebook group.)
Thanks Dave. It has been a trip. There are so many great stories that have come from these events.
Taking note? Edible Pioneer Valley, WFCR… and now? We are speaking at Smith on Julia Child’s birthday celebration (she is Smith alumni). The event is different every year, but serendipitously the organizer heard the radio spot and the event is on food & community.
Of course, we have attracted our detractors – responses from some less than reasonable members of the community have accused us of trespassing and loitering. You know the type… the ones that scream about tax dollars, welfare and gun rights but ignore “peaceable assembly” from the bill of rights. They also completely ignore the fact that no one cares if we use their property… the people that have not paid taxes on it in ten years, live in New Jersey and have let it rot. Yeah. People doing good, putting a positive spin on the community in the press. These people, could only be… “moonbats”.
We also got an email from the Health Department. We have no idea what it is about but they want to meet with us. This is the dude that said that you can get H1N1 from chickens, fear mongering during the urban chicken debate. There’s nothing that they could do except stop us from giving out food to the passerby. We are essentially only having a picnic. More to follow.
This is such an awesome concept! Thanks for posting about this!