NJ restaurant helps families reconnect in a unique, very kind way

While very noble, the "pay what you can" concept at a restaurant isn’t brand new. A few restaurants here and there have had nights like this for a long time. The primary focus of the course is to feed people who are food insecure. Jon Bon Jovi made a full-time charitable organization out of this with his Soul Kitchen project.

But the main goal of nights like these isn’t about finances and food insecurity for a certain South Jersey restaurant. It’s about family. And bringing families back together who may be drifting apart. Especially in hard times.

Girl With A Grill is a new restaurant in Vorhees that has twice now held ‘pay what you can’ nights. It’s for families only. Obviously, it can help a family struggling financially. But it’s much bigger than that for owner Lashaun Crawford.

"We want them to talk, communicate, get in each other’s business, find out what's going on with each other," Crawford said. “And the best way to do that is with what? Food."

She sees families drifting apart and wants to do something to help them reconnect with each other. Too many families struggling with expenses in New Jersey are having second jobs, overtime, side hustles, and if they can even be home all at the same time to have dinner together, you have phones and tablets isolating them even further at the dinner table.

From Girl With A Grill’s Facebook page, a description of their first ‘pay what you can’ night:

“With no TVs on and phones put away, families engaged with each other, sharing stories and creating lasting memories. It was truly a family affair, where everyone felt welcome and valued. Guests placed what they could afford in envelopes.... whether it’s $20 or $200 —no judgment, just kindness!”

So Lashaun Crawford decided to do another. I doubt it ends there.

She has 20-plus years in the restaurant industry and opened Girl With A Grill just a few months ago. According to patch.com their menu has fun food with a crazy variety of hot dogs and sausages such as "The Wave Rider," which comes with lettuce, tomato, crab meat, shrimp and what they call “dat sauce."

It’s hoagies (hey, South Jersey remember?) wings, burgers, hot dogs, fish platters and sounds like great comfort food for a family to reconnect with. Those ‘pay what you can’ nights are buffet style. Girl With A Grill is at 910 Haddonfield-Berlin Rd., Voorhees in The Ritz Center shopping plaza.

Lashaun Crawford sounds like she has a big heart to care about family as she does and I wish her many years of success.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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