Name: 'Pay what you can': In sign of times, S.F. Mexican restaurant launches sliding scale taco days
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'Pay what you can': In sign of times, S.F. Mexican restaurant launches sliding scale taco days

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After spending much of the pandemic feeding vulnerable individuals and recovering food waste, Kristin Houk decided it was time to tackle both issues with a new pay-what-you-can program at her Bayview Mexican restaurant, Tato.Starting today, customers can line up at Tato on Fridays for a taco plate, which comes with two tacos and sides such as rice, beans or salad, and pay between zero and $10. Each time someone pays the full $10 price, Tato will donate a meal to people residing in COVID hotels or homeless shelters.The rest of the week, Tato will be a regular restaurant. Still, Houk believes this is the only pay-what-you-can restaurant model in San Francisco.“There are a lot of people out there that at this moment who can benefit from getting a meal, whether you pay $10 or 10 cents,” she said. “There’s a lot of dignity in choice and people being able to come order a meal versus just being given a meal that’s already created.”Customers will be able to choose between three rotating taco options. There will also be a vegetarian taco, such as mushroom, and a meat, like chicken tinga, plus a fun special. On the first day, it’s crispy-cheesy quesabirria.Houk came to restaurants from a nonprofit background and also owns All Good Pizza and Cafe Alma, which aim to support Bayview vendors and serve as a hub for a neighborhood where fears of gentrification constantly loom. She actually opened Tato in 2018 with a pay-what-you-can offering for the first six months — but it never really caught on. Very few ordered it, she said, so she stopped.“I definitely fed people every day I hosted it, but I feel like now there’s a lot more visibility around resources, and I think it’s important to create that visibility so people know there are options,” she said.Plus, the need feels more tremendous, with so many laid-off workers in industries such as restaurants.Pay-what-you-can models are a rarity in Bay Area restaurants, which is understandable given the notoriously slim profit margins even in good economic times. One Oakland restaurant that employs a similar tactic is the Well, which offers a daily “karma bowl” at a suggested price at $12. Customers who choose to pay more help the restaurant continue offering the meal to those who can’t.This felt like the logical next step for Houk, who has already been feeding people through SF New Deal and working to combat the growing food waste problem — remember — by turning her cafe into a food recovery site, driving donated food to hospitals and shelters.Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.She hopes to continue the program indefinitely even post-pandemic, using surplus produce that would otherwise be wasted for the rotating vegetarian taco.More for you“Food is such a tremendous cost to families so if we can use some of that extra food that’s out there and get it to people in dignified ways, it’s an important thing to work toward,” Houk said.Tato. Pay-what-you-can 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays. Open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. 4608 3rd St., San Francisco. 415-948-0974 orJanelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: Twitter:Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

After spending much of the pandemic feeding vulnerable individuals and recovering food waste, Kristin Houk decided it was time to tackle both issues with a new pay-what-you-can program at her Bayview Mexican restaurant, Tato.Starting today, customers can line up at Tato on Fridays for a taco plate, which comes with two tacos and sides such as rice, beans or salad, and pay between zero and $10. Each time someone pays the full $10 price, Tato will donate a meal to people residing in COVID hotels or homeless shelters.The rest of the week, Tato will be a regular restaurant. Still, Houk believes...

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Janelle Bitker

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'Pay what you can': In sign of times, S.F. Mexican restaurant launches sliding scale taco days

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