Vegan café in Brooklyn offers sliding-scale prices

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - The vegan food trend has been picking up all across the country. But more often than not, this type of food is on the pricier side. 

"It's generally marked up because it is geared towards people that can afford wellness because there's an idea that there's people that should be cut out of that," Francesca Chaney said. "So I'm changing the notion." 

Chaney, 21, is the owner and chef of Sol Sips, a vegan café in Bushwick set to open for good on Thursday. It started as a three-month pop-up offering a selection of plant-based food at affordable prices.

On Saturdays, there will be a sliding-scale brunch, where diners can pay anywhere from $7 to $15 for a full meal, depending on what they can afford.

"We are creating a movement to make sure that there is accessible food," Chaney said. "And we are nourishing the body and we're also nourishing the spirit." 

 For Natejhia Lopez, who lives down the block, this restaurant is a much-welcomed addition to a neighborhood she says is quickly gentrifying. 

"We went in and asked them and it turns out it was a black woman-owned vegan spot in the middle of Bushwick," Lopez said. "The first."

Chaney hopes when the restaurant opens it will not only become a staple in the community, but will change the way people think about the type of food they put into their bodies.