Quiltmaker Cafe Going Brick and Mortar With Pay-What-You-Can Model
Quiltmaker Cafe is taking over the former Postal Fish Co. building.
PITTSBORO, NC — Quiltmaker Cafe plans to open by the end of the year at 75 W Salisbury St, Pittsboro, NC 27312, introducing a pay-what-you-can restaurant model built on community and generosity. Co-founder Jennie Knowlton told Business Debut that their team will close on the location October 31, with operations to follow before year’s end.
What to Expect
The cafe will serve breakfast and lunch in a counter-service format, offering approachable “comfort and healthy” food that invites all guests to feel welcome. Knowlton said the goal is to create “a menu for everyone,” with familiar items such as burgers alongside lighter, more nutritious choices.
Large community tables will encourage shared meals and connection for guests. The dining room will feature large, communal dining tables. “We will be a space that welcomes everyone,” Knowlton told Business Debut. “It’s equally about food and company, and everything we do is grounded in dignity.”
Menu and Vision
The Quiltmaker Cafe began five years ago as a volunteer-driven nonprofit, serving pay-what-you-can meals at markets and food truck events across Chatham county. The upcoming brick-and-mortar location will anchor those efforts, providing consistent lunch service Friday through Tuesday and breakfast on weekends.
Guests will donate anonymously at the counter, ensuring that everyone, whether contributing more or less, experiences the same welcoming environment.
Community Support
The project’s advisory committee brings together local nonprofit leaders and community advocates:
- Melissa Beard Driver, Executive Director for Chatham Outreach Alliance (CORA)
- Kelly Burton, Culinary Instructor at Central Carolina Community College (CCCC)
- Sam Cahoon, Volunteer at St. Bartholomew’s Community Lunch
- Tych Cowdin, Executive Director for Communities in Schools of Chatham County
- Lynn Dohner, Volunteer at St. Bartholomew’s Community Lunch
- Amy Gorely, Director of Community Relations for Carolina Meadows, Inc. & Executive Director of the Carolina Meadows Foundation
- Karen Ladd, Retired Lay Pastoral Leader at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church & Founder of Community Lunch
- Larry Lee, Volunteer at St. Bartholomew’s Community Lunch
- Anna Spears Tuell, Development Director for Chatham Habitat for Humanity
Founding Team and Directors
Opening Timeline
The cafe is targeting an opening before the end of the year, and a community Thanksgiving meal is planned for the holiday.
Hours
Lunch service is planned Friday through Tuesday, with breakfast on weekends.
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