What does it take to build a restaurant where everyone has a seat at the table, no matter what’s in their wallet? In this episode of Best Ever, Scott sits down with Maggie Kane, founder and executive director of A Place at the Table, Raleigh, N.C.'s first pay-what-you-can nonprofit café. Maggie shares how a conversation at a Golden Corral sparked a radical vision for dignity, choice, and community and how she turned that vision into a beloved downtown institution. They talk about what it means to lead with empathy, why asking for help is a superpower, and the powerful self-management habits that help Maggie show up with purpose and positivity day after day.

Explore A Place at the Table: tableraleigh.org | @tableraleigh

Follow Maggie on Instagram: @table_mags

Learn about One World Everybody Eats: oneworldeverybodyeats.org

Mentor café in Boone, NC: farmcafe.org

(01:48) The A Place at the Table Experience
(07:10) The Golden Corral Story That Changed Everything
(10:38) Starting a Restaurant Without Industry Experience
(21:11) Why the “Tip” at Table Is a Donation
(23:56) How 150 Volunteers a Day Keep the Café Running
(26:20) Creating Consistency with a Volunteer Workforce
(33:55) Maggie’s Daily Routines for Energy and Impact
(36:45) Hiking the Camino and Taking Sabbaticals
(47:52) The Power of Asking for Help and Building Community
(50:53) What It Really Means to Love People Well

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