Richter Tavern joins effort to feed SNAP recipients

While the U.S. Senate seems to be moving closer to resolving the record federal shutdown, Boerne’s Guy Sanders meanwhile is doing what he can to counter any interruptions to SNAP benefits.

Sanders, manager of the Richter Tavern since its COVID-era opening in March 2020, is throwing open the restaurant’s doors to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients and allowing them to order anything off the menu, free of charge.

The Richter is the second area restaurant to establish such a program. Pinchy’s Lobster and Raw Bar on River Road created a “Sunday Supper Kit” they made available for pickup, to-go kits that can be heated at home with enough food to feed four people.

“A lot of people in our community are about to lose benefits that are desperately needed to feed their families,” Pinchy’s Manager Alan Bakewell posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page last week. “Our team wants to help ease that burden and so starting on Sunday ... we will be offering Sunday Supper Kits at our Boerne location.”

Bakewell said Pinchy’s management is watching what transpires in Washington, D.C., before they make a decision on launching another round of Sunday kits.

Sanders and the Richter started their SNAP service Tuesday “and (are) doing it until the full SNAP benefits are restored, whether that takes two days or three weeks,” Sanders said.

Here’s how it works at the Richter, 153 S. Main St.:

• Show up during business hours 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

• Show your SNAP benefits card to Richter staff and be seated.

• Select from the menu and have a meal.

One entree per person and no alcoholic beverages, Sanders said.

“If they show up with their family and show the SNAP card, they can eat,” he said. “We’re prepared to serve up to 5,000 meals. I don’t think we’ll hit that.”

Sanders came up with the idea over the weekend and called a staff meeting.

“We had to track the numbers internally to see if it was viable,” he said.

All the key managers supported the idea, he added.

“We’re ready to go, right now,” he said Monday, prepping for Tuesday’s lunch opening.

SNAP recipients can select their fare from the full menu.

“We’re going to try to make this as painless as possible,” he said. “They are under enough stress as it is without getting any more from me.”

Sanders is unsure of the response.

“We may get a few dozen people a day, or have a line out the door, I have no idea,” he said. “But we’re ready. People deserve to eat.”

National news outlets Monday reported that after a 40-day federal shutdown, a small group of Democrats broke from party ranks to join with the majority GOP and move forward with reopening the government.

Legislation approved in the Senate will still need to go before the U.S. House, so the shutdown could last a few more days.