Pay-as-you feel social enterprise Lentil As Anything will shut its three Melbourne restaurants by the end of the month, citing financial woes amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Founder Shanaka Fernando said the not-for-profit community dining hub was no longer viable and its restaurants at Abbotsford, St Kilda and Thornbury would close on February 27.
The culinary institution, which asked customers to pay for what they felt a meal was worth, has been going for 21 years and reports serving more than 20 million vegan and vegetarian meals over that time.
At its peak, the Melbourne restaurants provided more than a million meals a year, of which only a third were paid for, Mr Fernando said.
The Sydney restaurant at Newtown closed last month over unpaid rent.
“The backpackers and uni students were about 70 per cent of our clientele and they made up a similar number of the 5000 volunteers we needed annually as well to supplement our paid workforce,” Mr Fernando said in a statement.
“But with the closing of the borders our numbers dwindled considerably.
“We still provided about 100,000 free meals during the lockdowns, but we are now in a position where our income is not meeting the cost of our outgoings.”
Mr Fernando cited the pandemic, him being off on WorkCover since November as well as lack of government support for the restaurants’ plight.
A GoFundMe set up in October 2020 raised $373,000 in just a few days, enabling the company to pay its debts and keep going.
Crowd-funding campaigns were also created for the Melbourne and Newtown restaurants in January but failed to draw the funds needed.
Sri Lankan-born Mr Fernando, who arrived in Australia aged 21, began Lentil As Anything in St Kilda in 2000 as part of a vision to provide food to people without them having to worry about money.
He said he was “very humbled” to see how far the concept had come, with people relying on the enterprise not just for a meal but social connection.
“I know it has helped out many thousands of people whether they are local or from overseas. And to see how many people have worked or volunteered at Lentil and gone on to successful lives and careers is very satisfying,” he said.
“We have tried to hang on as long as we could, xjmtzywbut it is now untenable.”
Culinary institution Lentil As Anything will shut the doors of its pay-as-you-feel Melbourne restaurants.
