In Tokyo, Japan there is a restaurant where anyone can work for fifty minutes to earn a free meal. This restaurant is called Mirai Shokudo and has no designated staff to run it. Owner, Sekai Kobayashi, offers her costumers two options: pay for the meal, or work 50 minutes to earn it for free.

This offer has helped many people that are suffering from hunger. The types of jobs that can be done are simple, with people able to serve food, wash dishes, and clean tables. According to Sunny Skyz, Kobayashi said, “I use this system because I want to connect with hungry people who otherwise couldn’t eat at restaurants because they don’t have money”.

The Jakarta Post reported that, “So far, more than 500 people, including university students, have opted to work for their meals to save money, among other reasons”. The Jakarta Post also said, “those who contribute their labor can either dine for free or receive a free-meal coupon that can be deposited at the restaurant’s entrance for anyone to use”.

In the restaurant, the daily lunch specials are priced at 900 yen which is about $8 in US currency. According to the Jakarta Post, Kobayashi said, “To manage my restaurant, I adopted an open-source model – a system through which software design is made available for free to the public so that everyone can improve upon it and I posted the restaurant’s business plan and finances on its website so I can collect input from the public on how to make improvements. This information is also available for those who want to open their own restaurants”.

Kobayashi told the Jakarta Post that “sharing something with others means supporting those with ambition. That underpins my approach to work”. This restaurant continues to serve its purpose, and with so many taking advantage of this opportunity, it is resulting in less people going hungry.