In recent news, a Philadelphia pizzeria is feeding the homeless, or more precisely its’ customers are feeding the homeless and the restaurant is reaping the free publicity and being heralded as good Samaritans.

Rosa’s Fresh Pizza in Center City is giving away slices of pizza to homeless folks who ask. The program allows any homeless person to walk in from the streets, walk up to the counter and ask for pizza. The program is funded by participating customers’ donations. For every $1 donation a customer is given a post-it note to display on the restaurant’s wall with their own message of inspiration for the homeless folks who come in to get their free slice.

How do the ‘customers’ prove they are homeless? Impossible. How does the restaurant know that some belligerent young men and women aren’t coming in to mooch off of others’ generosity? They don’t. Do they care though? This restaurant is gaining free publicity and coming off like martyrs when really they are making money! It does not cost them $1 to make one slice of pie; nor are they necessarily going to have to come off of a slice of pie for every dollar donated. Chances are high that they will get more money in donations than slices of pizza they will give away. The restaurant’s loss is a few pads of post-it notes. Yet they continue to be discussed and to play into the guise of charitable folks…