Crescent City Cafe

The Crescent City Cafe brings people around the table, feeding a sense of belonging and community! We address the needs of our community members experiencing food-insecurity by offering a free, volunteer-led, full-service breakfast. We are also expanding our services by launching New Orleans' first Pay-What-You-Can Community Cafe! With your donation, you can help share a welcoming and dignified community dining experience for anyone in need.

Twice each month we open to simulate a free, full-service breakfast restaurant for community members experiencing homelessness and food-insecurity. Guests are greeted at the door, seated by a host at a table with a linen tablecloth, orders are taken by a server, and a plate of nutritious and delicious food is delivered for their enjoyment. We create a community dining experience that recognizes food insecurity does not define a person and their worth.

Thanks to our amazing volunteers and donors, since its founding in 2009, the Crescent City Cafe has been a place of compassion and hope, where guests are served delicious meals with dignity, barriers are broken, and neighbors experience the joy of serving together. The Cafe has served over 23,000 meals and logged over 50,000 volunteer hours. And there's a role for you to play! We depend on the generosity of people like you to provide these meals and this experience.

Also, we are expanding and opening a Pay-What-You-Can Community Cafe! We have a fabulous and successful operation twice a month, but here's what we're really aiming for - opening a daily community cafe where all are welcome, regardless of means.

Testimonials

"This meal that I just ate would cost $20 at a restaurant. I had coffee, chocolate milk with a refill, and a full plate of delicious food. Plus, these strawberries were perfect today. This is my favorite place to come eat." ~Ted, Cafe Guest

"The Cafe is about the people - it's the volunteers, the friends I meet, and friends I come back to see. This is one of the few places where we can meet up, know people care, and enjoy a meal together." ~Theo, Cafe Guest