How's this for counting on karma: just a couple of months after Moby opened his vegan restaurant Little Pine, the musician has announced that 100 percent of the Silver Lake bistro's profits will be donated to animal welfare organizations. At a time when restaurants are struggling to break even among rising minimum wage fares, this kind of pledge is a rarity (and perhaps among fellow owners, a frustration) in the restaurant world.
Though let's be real: Moby is loaded and can afford to make such a commitment. "Opening Little Pine was never meant to be a conventional entrepreneurial endeavor," he explains. "I want it to represent veganism in a really positive light, and also help to support the animal welfare organizations who do such remarkable work." Among the lucky organizations on the receiving end are the Humane Society of the United States, Mercy for Animals, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Farm Sanctuary and, of course, PETA.
Moby is no stranger to the business of restaurants—he owned his first vegan venture, Teany, in New York, then became an investor in Crossroads when it opened in 2013—and donating a portion of profits or dedicating one day out of the year to donate 100 percent of profits is nothing new. But this specific kind of business model is an anomaly. Will it last? Maybe it's just the new year spirit, but I'm rooting for karma—and Little Pine.