‘Anti-Profit’ College Restaurant Struggles for Survival

Socialism doesn’t work. 

‘Anti-profit’ college restaurant seeks donations from its ‘comrades’ to stay alive – The College Fix

One of the oldest student-owned food cooperatives in America is crowdfunding to stay afloat, according to an impassioned plea for donations. Its mortal enemy? Popular and profitable organic-food chains. Its salvation? Protecting students from the unsafe world of a Washington, D.C. suburb.

More:

Established in 1976, the Maryland Food Collective is an “anti-profit” restaurant on the University of Maryland-College Park campus, specializing in affordable and healthy vegetarian and vegan-friendly food.

Unlike traditional capitalist restaurants, the UMD students who work at the co-op share an equal role in operating the business, and there are “no bosses or managers,” only “people working for a space that maintains equality,” according to the crowdfunding page.

“Since the beginning, we have been a non-hierarchical business run by our democratic collective process,” the co-op website states.

Referring to customers as “comrades” on social media and offering a “safe space” for its patrons, the co-op appears to be well-liked among students who appreciate its equal distaste for profit and meat: They have poured in nearly $8,500 as of Wednesday night.