Here’s a wholesome story for your heart and belly: Today (August 26, 2026), restaurants from around the world are participating in a pay-what-you-can initiative.
More than 100 restaurants are offering up their usual food menu and high-quality service to customers, but with no expectation that diners will cover the bill.
Guests are instead asked how much they want to pay and tip, with some visitors even paying in trade such as artwork, a homemade salsa, or exercise classes for the restaurant’s staff.
Drinks typically remain at full price.
The initiative was started by Saqib Keval and Norma Listman, coowners and chefs at Mexico City-based restaurant Masala y Maíz.
They have offered Paga Lo Que Puedas (Pay What You Can) days for more than eight years. Last year, they invited other restaurants to join them and had more than 20 participants, including three Michelin-starred restaurants.
Now, their “global day of hospitality” is expanding into a movement “about trust, access, and filling dining rooms with community,” as they put it.
Masala y Maíz encourages new restaurants to sign up and shares a playbook for participants that addresses:
- Service design and pacing
- Guest communication
- Team preparation and moral
- Financial considerations
- Community engagement
- Press and interview talking points
The majority of restaurants taking part this year are based in Mexico or the United States, with others in Colombia, France, India, Nigeria, Turkey, and more.
Here are some of the restaurants in the U.S. offering pay what you can today:
- Bombera in Oakland, California
- Tokyo Record Bar in New York
- Hellbender in Queens, New York
- Oyster Oyster in Washington, D.C.
- Mera Kitchen Collective in Baltimore
- Comadre Panadería in Austin
- Lenoir in Austin
- Ayu Bakehouse in New Orleans
- 22 Moons Tea Room in Valrico, Florida
You can see the full list of all participating restaurants on the Pay What You Can website.