100 RESTAURANTS SAID: PAY WHAT YOU CAN.
A one-day idea from Mexico City restaurant Masala y Maíz grew into a global event with 100 restaurants in 14 countries signed on, while staff kept their normal wages and tips. The radical business innovation: trust people.
100 RESTAURANTS SAID: PAY WHAT YOU CAN
What began as a one-day experiment at Mexico City restaurant Masala y Maíz expanded this year into a global Pay What You Can Day, with 100 restaurants across 14 countries signed on. Customers chose what they could afford to pay while participating restaurants operated normally and staff kept their regular wages and tips.
WHAT HAPPENED
Masala y Maíz founders Norma Listman and Saqib Keval started Paga Lo Que Puedas — Pay What You Can — during the pandemic, when financial pressure made restaurant dining inaccessible to many people.
The concept was deliberately simple: for one day, diners could order a meal and decide what they were able to pay. The restaurant would still operate as a real restaurant. Kitchen staff worked, servers were paid, and the experience did not become a charity line or a separate “discount” service.
The idea spread. In 2026, organizers said 100 restaurants in 14 countries signed on for the global day of hospitality, including acclaimed and Michelin-recognized restaurants.
The model depends on mutual trust. Some people pay less. Some pay more. Everyone gets to sit at the table.
WHY THIS IS HOPESLOP
Because the clever part is not complicated software, dynamic pricing or a venture-backed loyalty program.
The clever part is trusting people.
Restaurants opened their doors, served the same food, paid their workers normally and temporarily let customers decide what they could afford. Somehow civilization remained intact.
Suspicious.
ORIGINAL SOURCEPaga Lo Que Puedas / Masala y Maíz via Good Good GoodRead the original report