09/21/2026
Hi everyone,
Chef Q here, and we need to have a little family meeting...
Last Monday, we hosted the September Table10 Community Dinner; served 93 meals and hosted 9 hardworking volunteers who made my job so much easier. Thank you, again. 🥰
While all of those amazing things happened, we unfortunately experienced a few frustrating issues at this Table10:
1. Guests pushing our volunteers for seconds.
If you've ever visited Fleming Street during our regular hours, you know our portion sizes are quite generous. That practice has also carried over into Table10 because we want to make sure no one leaves hungry.
For obvious reasons, we do not allow seconds at Table10. Our goal is to feed every person who walks through the door. We cannot do that if all of the food is given away at the beginning.
2. Guests consuming 5–6 cups of lemonade and tea.
This is simply not okay.
We depleted over 11 gallons of lemonade and tea that night -not because of the crowd size, but because people felt it was okay to take and take.
Please remember -these meals and beverages are provided for the entire community. Take what you need, but please leave some for your neighbor.
3. Guests coming in to pick up to-go dinners.
We do not allow to-go dinners.
The handful of times we have tried to accommodate neighbors who were ill and unable to attend has obviously come back to bite us.
Please do not ask our volunteers for to-go dinners. And do not use my name as a means to persuade them.
4. Entitlement and impatience.
This one grieves me the most.
Anyone connected to the work being done behind the scenes for Table10 can attest to the hard work, intentional work, and generous work given every single month.
Every meal is thoroughly planned, fresh, and scratch-made. I personally give up my 1 semi-day off to make this event happen each month.
To receive reports of guests rushing volunteers, questioning staff and volunteers, and simply being rude was heartbreaking.
At Fleming Street, we believe in kindness, patience, grace, and respect. What unfolded last week was not a demonstration of those values -and we will not tolerate anything less.
I love all of you and love seeing your faces every month, but we must hold each other accountable and do better.
We really have an amazing and giving community, and we want to continue doing the work needed. But we need the community to work with us. And I'm certain we can do it!
Have an amazing day, and I look forward to serving you again soon for the next Table10 Community Dinner on October 12th!
Eat Well. Do Good.
Chef Q