This winter, as the season of giving fills us with joy and happiness, thoughts turn to those who might not be as lucky. And if you’re among those who can afford to dine out this winter, perhaps spare a thought for those who are struggling. Fortunately, a charitable initiative called Streetsmart makes it easy to help out this winter – simply by dining out, you can help tackle homelessness this winter.
Streetsmart partners with some of the best restaurants in London and across the UK. By adding a small (and optional!) donation to the bill at the end of your meal, they can raise an impressive amount of money during the festive season. Streetsmart then works with a variety of charities. “The money goes to charities providing for both basic needs [to help adults and children who are living on the streets] and to those supplying the skills and resources needed to help in the long-term.”
And all it takes is a small donation at the end of your meal. Restaurants offer an optional £1 donation when the bill comes, and all the money goes to supporting Streetsmart’s mission.
How does it work?
We’ll turn it over to Streetsmart themselves to explain how the initiative works:
At participating restaurants during the festive months of November and December, with the benefit of a tablecard or a reference on the menu, a voluntary £1 is added to the diners’ bill.
At the end of each month, the restaurant passes on all of these £1s to StreetSmart. We then use them to support reputable charities for the homeless.
All StreetSmart’s running and operational costs are generously paid for by our sponsors, so every penny in every £1 raised goes directly to the people who need it.
And if you’re a restaurant owner or worker wondering whether your venue should sign up, they’re quick to point out that the initiative is incredibly easy to implement. That’s because:
- The £1 donation is voluntary and can easily be removed from the bill upon request.
- Administration is minimal since electronic tills record donations.
- According to Streetsmart, “most restaurants find that participating in StreetSmart has no effect on the level of tipping”.
- The £1 donation is added to the bill after the service charge and VAT, and so it does not affect your VAT returns.
Streetsmart
Streetsmart’s festive dining initiative has been operating since 1998. Last year, the initiative managed to raise £1,178,000 to tackle homelessness.
Over the years, the amounts really add up. To date, they’ve worked with 652 restaurants. Among them, those restaurants boast an impressive 62 Michelin stars and 304 AA Rosettes. So they truly are some of the best restaurants in the country. Altogether, they’ve managed to raise £16.2 million for homeless people.
And it all starts with you.
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