It’s lunchtime and you’re famished, so you and your friends head to a local café. You start your meal with a cup of fresh arugula and potato soup. Next, you have a strawberry and spinach salad and two slices of Greek veggie pizza. As you finish the last bite, you’re pleasantly full and ready to return to the activities of the day — but first, you have to pay. How much would you expect to spend on a tasty meal like this? Ten dollars — maybe 12?

If you’re sitting in one of the few (but growing number) of pay-what-you-can-afford cafés in the U.S., the price of your meal is up to you. No, that’s not a typo — it really says “pay-what-you-can-afford.” Seriously. You decide what seems a fair price for what you’ve eaten. And if you can’t afford to pay much today, that’s OK. In fact, at some of the eateries, you could even choose not to spend any money at all; you could pay for your meal by volunteering an hour of your time washing dishes or helping out in some other way.

If this sounds like a radical new idea, it’s not. This culinary concept has been put into practice in various parts of Europe and here in the U.S. for many years. Several of today’s establishments — such as the One World Everybody Eats café, the SAME Café (So All May Eat), Lentils As Anything and A Better World Café — combine the concept with the Slow Food Movement and are centered around a community kitchen philosophy aimed at providing fresh, healthy food to anyone who wants or needs it. But others are trying this pricing model for different reasons. Some, like the Java Street Café in Kettering, Ohio happened upon this model as a way to combat declining patronage during today’s tough economic times. Owner Sam Lippert credits his Bulgarian girlfriend with the idea to let his patrons pick their prices. In an interview with CNN, Lippert said the concept was working, as he was seeing between 50 and 100 percent more customers daily.

Restaurants aren’t the only ones plating this practice — some other places are adopting a similar pay structure, if only part-time. For example, admission to the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York is “pay-what-you-wish” on Friday nights. And a few theaters in Canada, London and Washington, DC, offer pay-what-you-can tickets to performances on certain days or during certain seatings.

For those who think the community kitchen/pay-what-you’re-able concept can’t work for the long haul, consider Lentil As Anything in Australia, which started in 2000 and now has five locations. This not-for-profit provides more than meals and volunteer opportunities to its community. It’s also a forum for engaging interaction among people from varying social and cultural backgrounds and a hub of educational, legal and health assistance for people with otherwise limited resources.

So, what do you all think of this model? Have you been to a pay-as-you-can restaurant? Would you like to see one in your community? Do you know of any other pay-as-you-wish offerings at museums, theaters or other establishments? And how much would you be willing to spend on a great meal?