The New York Times review (relatively positive) of the food being offered at Hat City Kitchen is a sound reminder that a successful nonprofit social venture must rely on more than just a good cause to be truly successful.
Hat City Kitchen, according to the reviewer:
...opened in the Valley Arts District of Orange a year ago, its name evoking the local factories that once employed thousands and supplied haberdashers the world over. The owner is Housing and Neighborhood Development Services Inc., which has rehabilitated scores of homes in the area and which envisioned the 1890s building that houses the restaurant as a bustling performing-arts space.
As I noted, the review was relatively positive but ended as follows:
For now, Hat City Kitchen is worth eating at if you are there to hear some music, worth supporting if you believe in the group’s mission, worth giving a chance because of its more-than-fair prices. It is not yet worth a trip out of one’s way for the dining experience alone.