Written by Yelp Denver Community Intern, Chloé Lyden
Since 2004, Yelp has worked to connect millions of people to the best in local business. In that time we’ve met thousands of passionate small business owners, a group as hardworking and diverse as any you’ll find. In this series, we share stories of just some of the people who, through their commitment to building great local businesses, are sustaining the vibrant local communities we call home.
We had the pleasure of speaking with Brad Reubendale, the Executive Director of SAME Café, to learn his passion for serving the local community through nutritious meals in a safe environment.
SAME Café, Denver’s first non-profit restaurant, serves meals to the community each day—regardless of background or ability to pay. With a team of staff and volunteers preparing wholesome meals early in the morning, they are proud of the final product that leaves their kitchen to serve a line of people depending on them for a meal.
“This café is lovely and bursting with love to boot. This idea is heartwarming, pay what you can for your meal or volunteer some time in exchange for it. The community it serves is varied and I’m happy to count myself as part of it now. Yay for good souls doing good works in the world!” —Rebecca M. on Yelp.
SAME’s (So All May Eat) philosophy is that everyone, regardless of economic status, deserves the chance to eat healthy food while being treated with dignity. For each meal served, an exchange is made through volunteering time, contributing produce or donating financially via a “name-your-own-price” concept, which is practically unheard of in the restaurant industry.
SAME’s Chef and Operations Manager, Letisha Steele, discusses her passion for the restaurant’s place in the community with us: “I love SAME Café because we serve everyone. It doesn’t matter what your background is, what your sexual orientation is, we serve everyone. People experiencing extreme hardship walk through our doors on a daily basis, and it’s really beautiful that we’ve become a safe space for all.”
For nearly 13 years, Brad and his SAME Café crew have been humbly serving Denver at their brick and mortar café on E Colfax Ave. They recently expanded their presence by launching a food truck in May. Brad expressed that Denver has multiple “food deserts”, meaning healthy food is difficult to access due to distance and location, and oftentimes, price. They took the initiative of bringing their product to the masses with the very simple premise of, “So All May Eat.”
Want to learn more? Check out and bookmark SAME Café on Yelp!
