Everytable Closes Its First Program-Related Investment (PRI) Supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Everytable is a grab and go restaurant, whose mission is to make nutritious, fresh food affordable and accessible to all. Everytable aims to redefine the food landscape the same way McDonald's did fifty years ago. However, this time, instead of burgers and fries, it is healthy, made-from-scratch food, at fast-food prices, that will enable all communities to have equitable access to quality food and help eliminate food deserts and food injustice.

"Everytable's mission directly aligns with our goal to increase access to fresh, local, healthy food and improve nutrition for children and families," said Kellogg Foundation Director of Mission Investment Cynthia Muller. "Children are at the heart of everything we do, and this investment creates healthy and affordable food options that are culturally relevant for families—something that rarely exists in food-insecure communities."

Everytable is a social enterprise. Social enterprises are organizations that try to solve social problems through business, combining the heart of a nonprofit with the scalability and innovative potential of for-profits. Foundations, like the Kellogg Foundation, have been allowed to invest in social enterprises through PRI's for almost 50 years, but only a tiny percentage of foundations deploy them. With PRI funding, these hybrid businesses could usher in a boom that would bridge society's equity gaps.

Everytable is doing just that: bridging the gap in equality by addressing society's food injustice. With this investment, Everytable will:

• Pilot a franchise model which focuses on entrepreneurs of color from underserved communities owning stores;
• Explore a new model designed to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP);
• Run educational programming for students at California State University, Los Angeles around its new store (Everytable's first store with a university) opening in January 2019. 

"The Kellogg Foundation is the gold-standard of foundations. Their innovative approach to equality and justice has improved countless lives and communities, and we at Everytable are honored by their confidence in our team, and our business model, which we believe has the potential to reshape the food system to make healthy food affordable and accessible for all," says Sam Polk, Founder & CEO of Everytable.

Everytable currently has six stores—Baldwin Hills, Cal State LA, Compton, Downtown Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and South Los Angeles—and two more opening early next year in Watts and Brentwood. The stores located in underserved areas (also referred to as food deserts) sell meals for $5 to $6, and in the more affluent areas, the same meals are priced $8 to $9.

Everytable is an evolved business model that uses great food, beautiful design, and a variable pricing model to succeed and help balance injustice. It has made the commitment to address the food injustice felt by millions throughout Los Angeles through its innovative food delivery platform and stores, with the potential to reach millions more across the country and beyond. To ensure that everyone can afford its meals, its unique pricing model enables every neighborhood to enjoy healthy, affordable meals.

SOURCE W.K. Kellogg Foundation