Anyone can make a difference. That’s the idea behind Fonte Cucina, a pop-up restaurant that’s relatively new to central Ohio.
“It’s about family, it’s about community, and it’s about sharing that love over some bread…which we have amazing bread,” says Anthony Granitsas, Founder and CEO of Fonte Cucina.
The pop-up restaurant is the brainchild of Granitsas. It’s a family-run business designed to give back to the community it serves.
“A restaurant’s mission is to create a community and a space where people can come together and enjoy food,” Granitsas tells 10TV. “I don’t think that should stop at those who are unable to pay for it. Food is one of the most necessary things in our lives.”
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity has changed. People who had never faced hunger before are now in need. The demand for food banks is now even greater than in the past. Granitsas designed a business model where his restaurant can reinvest in the community.
Through a partnership with Neighborhood Services food pantry, Fonte Cucina donates four meals for every one meal purchased to a food-insecure community.
“You know, whether you’re in Franklinton, New Albany or Hilliard, regardless of where you are you should never struggle to find food,” said Granitsas.
For-profit businesses don’t have to focus solely on profit when the goal is to create a better community. Fonte Cucina’s business model has proven that.
“There is room to take that profit and reinvest it in the community and so, while we are a social enterprise that does buy one give four, we actually are still able to make a profit and survive as a business,” Granitsas said.
He hopes Fonte Cucina can serve as a blueprint for other restaurants to follow and join them in the fight against food insecurity. To find out where Fonte Cucina will pop up next, click here.