SPRING 2005

McMurphy's Grill

Entrepreneurs Thrive in America

To Market, To Market...Or Not?

Free Credit Reports
Available in Midwest

Wal-Mart Exec Tapped
for Fed Advisory Council

Entrepreneurship Focus
of Memphis Conference

Fed Seeks Comments
on CRA Revisions

Have You Heard

Spanning the Region

Resources

Calendar

Free Subscription Via U.S. Mail

By Linda Fischer
Editor

Waiter Don Shields takes lunch orders at McMurphy’s Grill in downtown St. Louis. Shown are, from left: Kristina Alnajjar of Spokane, Wash.; Nunzio Lama, restaurant manager; and Maggie Brown, also of Spokane. (Photo by Dennis Caldwell)

Each weekday around noon, customers come to McMurphy’s Grill in downtown St. Louis to enjoy lunch—a bowl of Irish stew, a corned beef sandwich or other flavorful dishes. Waiters and waitresses hustle to get the crowd fed and back to work in a reasonable amount of time. From all appearances, McMurphy’s is a typical cozy eatery.

The truth is, McMurphy’s is anything but typical. The restaurant is a job-training program run by St. Patrick Center, a nonprofit provider of services for the homeless or those at risk of becoming homeless. The waiters and waitresses are homeless, as are the cooks and busboys. They are trying to get back on their feet by working for minimum wage while learning the general skills needed for restaurant employment.

One of the waiters, Don Shields, has been in training at McMurphy’s for eight months now. A big smile crosses his face as he describes his work there. “Sometimes it gets hectic,” he says. “But I love it!”

As nonprofit organizations search for ways to raise money—other than through the traditional grants, donations and public subsidies that sometimes come and sometimes don’t—many are turning to social enterprises. And for many, it’s a venture into uncharted waters: the world of business...FULL STORY