A chef works behind the line at the Homemade Café in Berkeley, which is closing on January 1, 2024.
Jessie R. via Yelp/Courtesy
A Berkeley cafe that made national headlines for its free breakfast menus is closing after 45 years. Homemade Cafe, which opened in 1979 at the corner of Sacramento St. and Dwight Way, will serve its last breakfast on Jan. 1.
“It is with great sadness and disappointment that we have to close. It is simply financially impossible to stay open,” the cafe wrote on its Facebook page. “In today's economic climate, it is apparently not possible to operate a small, locally owned, full-service restaurant that serves home-cooked food made from high-quality ingredients at relatively reasonable and affordable prices, while simultaneously valuing its employees and refusing to pay anything less than a living wage to pay.”
Collin Doran bought the cafe in 2011 and launched his free “Everyone Eats” breakfast for people who couldn’t afford a meal. Customers who donate $5 will receive a “free food” ticket posted on a bulletin board, giving each hungry guest two eggs, potatoes, toast and coffee. The politics became national news and earned her cafe features on the “Today” show and the Washington Post.
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“On days when we run out of tickets, we will still continue to serve free meals,” Doran told the Post. “No one should go hungry. This is the right thing to do.”
But even national recognition wasn't enough to save the restaurant. A GoFundMe in support of Homemade Cafe said Doran had “invested over $200,000 of his savings over the last two years to maintain operations” and that when the closure was imminent, employees “clearly agreed to take a pay cut of.” “To accept 20%”.
“We've overcome a lot and are strong, but the last few months haven't been kind with spending on everything consistently increasing by 5-10% each month,” the GoFundMe reads.
On Friday, Doran announced on Facebook that Homemade Cafe is closing permanently in the new year.
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“Monday will be our last day to serve you breakfast all day without a reservation, the last time we will prepare all the delicious, heart-stopping meals in our repertoire with all the love and care we can muster serve,” the post says. “We will no longer welcome you as a loving family member, but you will always be in our hearts and we have memories that we will cherish for a lifetime.”