It’s not a surprise to see prices on the menu of almost every Omaha restaurant. That’s not the case, however, at Table Grace Cafe, which is part of what makes this downtown Omaha restaurant so unique.
Opened in 2011 by Matt and Simone Weber, Table Grace is passionate about providing a meal to anyone who needs one, regardless of their social status or financial situation. The menu, which features soups, salads, pizza, and rotating specials, has no prices, as this Omaha restaurant asks you for one of two things: pay what you can or volunteer. Matt said that everyone who enters deserves a dignified dining experience.
“We start with the assumption that everyone who walks through our door has something to offer,” Matt said. “We always just have to make sure we have good food, good fellowship, good hospitality, and our question is, ‘How would you like to respond to this gift of food and hospitality today?’ That’s where the community happens.”
But Table Grace Cafe doesn’t just hand out free meals; this Omaha restaurant aims to empower their community. In addition to volunteer opportunities, Table Grace offers a job experience program that, if completed, results in a stipend and letter of recommendation to potential future employers. The program also provides the chance to learn skills needed to land permanent employment and helps participants develop confidence and discover skills they didn’t realize they had.
Using donations from local grocery stores and restaurants, Table Grace serves 250-400 meals per week (made from scratch whenever possible) to everyone from families to business people and unemployed individuals. The restaurant is intended to be for everyone from all walks of life.
“The heart is creating a space where people can realize their own gifts and talents and contribute to a community like this,” Simone said. “Giving them the empowerment to go ahead and do that.”
Matt and Simone met at music camp at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and eventually moved to New York, where Matt attended the National Gourmet Cooking Institute and cut his teeth working in restaurants as Simone launched her music career. When the couple moved back to Omaha, they became very involved in their church food pantry and looked for opportunities to help those less fortunate. After seeing a nonprofit restaurant in Denver, they decided to open their Omaha restaurant.
Music remains a main part of the restaurant’s core. The cafe frequently hosts live music, and Simone tours and performs concerts to help raise money for the restaurant. The story of the cafe was even fashioned into a musical in 2024.
And while the patrons that come through Table Grace Cafe’s door come from all backgrounds and walks of life, the Webers have found that music is often a connecting element that helps create community.
“Being a singer/songwriter, it’s something pretty magnificent to come in here on any day when we have live music and have our band set up,” Simone said. “And the whole cafe might be focused on their food on that time, but the minute you start singing something that connects the room, all of the sudden everyone has turned toward each other.
“By the time that music session is over, there’s conversations happening and there are opportunities to share in the struggles and joys of life together. That compels us forward, no matter if we’re having a good day or a really bad day.”
