Cheryl and Laurie MacMillan, the mother daughter duo behind Mandolin’s Bagel & Coffeehouse have launched a ‘Meal Wall’, a new program where customers can buy food or beverages for someone else.
Cheryl first heard the idea when a friend showed her a post on Facebook with other cafés doing the same thing.
“She tagged me, and a couple of other people and I just said I would be all over it,” said Chery.
“I thought it was a really good idea. So, I came to work the next day and tagged Laurie in it and said I think we should do that. So, we printed off a receipt and just started from there.”
The Meal Wall was an immediate success, with customers coming in to buy their own favourite goodies and to add a receipt to the wall at the same time; at one point there were between 25 and 30 receipts on the Wall.
“It’s been very well received. A lot of people thought it was a great idea, when we started this, we had a lot on there.”
Mandolin’s has been now been open for ten years, and in that time they have had customers buy treats for others, such as coffee and donuts to be given out to anyone in need, or meals for specific people, this is the first time they have created a regular way for customers to pre-pay for items for strangers.
“People come in and they can buy a sandwich, or a donut, some buy a lasagna, they can buy whatever they’re comfortable with,” said Cheryl.
“They can choose a dollar amount; we post it up on the wall and then anybody can come in. It’s whatever they’re comfortable with, it’s not a set thing or amount.”
This can be anything from a donut and coffee, which is currently on special for $3.00, to a family meal like a chicken pot pie or a lasagna, one of which was given to a local family recently when the father was have a particularly difficult day.
“And they in turn came in and donated a couple meals because they were so appreciative,” said Cheryl.
Mandolin’s also wants to stress that everyone is welcome to use the Meal Wall, and that it is not just for low income or people who are struggling financially.
“Anybody, it doesn’t have to be low income, somebody can be having a bad day, they come in they take a receipt off the wall of whatever they would like to have,” said Cheryl.
“We don’t ask any questions. We’ve had some people come in and donate, and then a couple days later they come in and take a sandwich off the wall. The big thing was, it’s just to make their day better. They don’t have to be low income, it’s just to help them feel better.”
Many people have made use of the program, from seniors to working professionals to high school students or those down on their luck.
Although there was some concern that there may be people who would abuse the Wall, so far everyone has been respectful and used the donated meals and treats appropriately.
Now in use for more than a month, the MacMillans have seen donations to the Wall drop off, and hope that Merrittonians will remember it is an ongoing initiative and continue to come in and add receipts whenever possible.
“The biggest thing is we need people to keep coming in and donating for those people to take a receipt off the wall,” said Cheryl.
“We have to have the support from the community to keep this going.”
