Raleigh’s A Place at the Table wakes up to holiday surprise on ‘Good Morning America’
A Place at the Table, the Raleigh cafe that seems to spread holiday cheer all year long, was at the center of a morning show surprise Monday.
Founder and director Maggie Kane thought she was promoting the cafe on a segment taped for ABC’s “Good Morning America” earlier this month. But it turned out Kane was in the spotlight.
The show teamed up with Lori Bergamotto of Good Housekeeping and sent Kane for a day at the spa, while a team of Santa-hat-wearing volunteers decorated A Place at the Table for the holidays.
Nearing its second anniversary, A Place at the Table is an experiment in the economy of kindness. So far, it seems to be working.
Diners have three ways to pay at the cafe: full price, what they can afford or by volunteering for their meal with an hour of work in the restaurant. Diners also can pay it forward, buying meal tokens for other diners. So far, A Place at the Table says it has given away about 20,000 meals since opening.
Kane has received numerous media mentions and was The News & Observer’s Tar Heel of the Month in January. But she always deflects the attention back on the cafe and its volunteers.
“We all deserve to feel like we matter and we’re welcome,” Kane said in the segment.
A Place at the Table expanding
A Place at the Table is currently expanding its Hargett Street Cafe, practically doubling in size and installing a commercial kitchen that will bring new items to its breakfast and lunch menu. Kane recently received a $30,000 donation from Tyson Foods toward that expansion.
In the GMA segment, Kane appeared totally shocked by the spa day. It wasn’t her first brush with the national spotlight — A Place at the Table was featured on the “Today” show last year around Thanksgiving.
“I don’t think she’s had a day for herself in the last two years,” general manager Josh Hancock told GMA in its segment.
While Maggie was at a local spa, volunteers festooned the cafe with garland and wreaths and displays on every table.
Based on social media posts, GMA visited Raleigh and A Place at the Table on Dec. 8. The segment aired Monday morning in the 8 a.m. hour of the ABC morning show.
This story was originally published December 16, 2019 at 12:00 PM.
