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closeMonday, Nov. 02, 2009
Two DFW eateries help the wallet with "pay what you want" concept
June Naylor
It’s worked in Montreal, Denver, Salt Lake City –- even in our own Arlington, Texas. And so far, the “pay what you want” concept seems to be thriving at at least one Colleyville restaurant.
At the Original Joes Pasta N Pizza in Colleyville, owners Lee and Emma Herdman decided they wanted to “show our faith in the community” by taking prices off the menu every Wednesday. In a effort to help out the customer who needs to stretch every dollar, the Herdmans let you decide what your meal is worth.
The couple wanted to give people a chance to enjoy a midweek meal away from home while still keeping to a budget – without resorting to pre-fab chain dining or fast food. So far, say the Herdmans, the Wednesday program has been a big success.
Most of the recent online dining postings have been favorable, too. One diner named Nicole says the pay-what-you-will dinner she and her husband enjoyed “was worth more than the $20 we paid for the meal,” and that she enjoyed “by far the best Alfredo sauce I’ve had at any hole-in-the-wall italian joint in dfw.” Others praise the bread and friendly service. One semi-sourpuss said the “food is OK - if you appreciate that there are no real itallians (sic) making your Italian food.”
Find the Original Joes Pasta N Pizza, 3809 Colleyville Boulevard (Highway 26); 817-428-2332.
You-name-the-price is still going strong at Potager Café near UTA in Arlington, where dinner service is now offered on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Opened early last spring, the café specializing in dishes made from scratch with seasonal, organic ingredients was the first in the DFW area to put up a menu with no prices. Lunches began bringing about an average of $7 per customer but now get about $10 to $12 per. Dinner customers are offering $20 to $30 per meal, thanks to quality components.
The biggest sellers at Potager include tomato soup, bacon-aged cheddar quiche, bacon-wrapped turkey meatloaf, French silk pie and handmade ciabatta bread. Seasonal goods now offered for fall include roasted beet gnocchi, split-pea soup, butternut squash soup, seared wild mushrooms, herbed onion tart and caramel pear tart. Check the website for daily offerings and decide how much to budget for your meal.
Added value at both restaurants comes with the BYOB policy, and there are some pretty decent bottles of wine out there for under ten bucks, too. One of my favorite finds includes the Trackers Crossing shiraz, a 365 brand wine from South Australia at Whole Foods, priced at $6.99.
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