While some come to eat, others stay to learn a trade. This is the two-fold mission of Resto Plateau, a community agency founded in 1992 that provides services in both food security and sociovocational integration. This means that apprentice cooks at Resto Plateau prepare almost 200 meals a day for people living in poverty or precarious conditions.
As a community restaurant, Resto Plateau offers full lunches at a sliding-scale pricing of $5, $7 or $9 depending on the person’s ability to pay. Everyone is welcome to stay not just to eat but to socialize, build friendships or a network of support, and become part of a true community. People who don’t know where to go for help can meet with someone on site for referrals. Counsellors are available to listen and direct them to the right resources.
After seeing the cost of living continue to rise as well as more and more people struggle to access healthy food, Resto Plateau took action in 2023 by building up its services to better address this reality.
The agency is now open on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and offers affordable take-out meals along with low-cost frozen foods and fresh fruit and vegetables. This initiative is meant particularly for low-income workers, students on a tight budget, harried families, and people who don’t know how to cook.
Great work recognized by Centraide
Resto Plateau’s ability to reinvent itself caught the notice of Centraide, which awarded the agency with the 2025 Solidaires Evaluation for its commitment to evaluation and continuous learning.
The Solidaires jury was impressed with the agency’s diligent approach to measuring the impact of its actions and adapting its services to the community’s changing needs. The team’s heavy involvement in the evaluation process is another example of its dedication to continuous improvement.
1 out of 5 people receives our help.
5 out of 5 people benefit from it.
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Supporting a network of over 375 community agencies also means promoting an inclusive, poverty-free society.