COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — When customers walk into the new Near East Cafe, they can order health-conscious menu items for under $12 while giving back to the community.
Nestled inside the Ohio State Healthy Community Center’s business incubator, the new Near East Cafe welcomes the neighborhood to its grand opening from 4-8 p.m. Friday. The cafe is a collaboration between local organizations Too Good Eats and Food Leads, and serves breakfast, lunch and beverages.
Too Good Eats and Food Leads are local social enterprises dedicated to local food access, and the collaboration wanted to bring that mission to its first storefront. Near East Cafe owners proudly said 50% of its profits are donated to supporting food access in central Ohio, without asking for more from customers.
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“We were very intentional about creating a menu that not only is delicious and good with nutrition in mind, but also making sure that we keep our prices under that $12 price point,” Anique Russell, co-founder of Too Good Eats, said.