If you have tried to book a table at Anh and Chi, you know the drill.
You can either risk the long walk-in line or pay $10 per person to secure a seat.
For some, that fee might feel like a barrier.
But for the community, it has turned into a life-changing movement.
The Michelin Bib Gourmand team has just announced that this program has raised over $500,000 for local charities.
This is a staggering number for a single family-run restaurant to achieve.
The initiative, known as “Reservation by Donation,” was launched by siblings Vincent and Amélie Nguyễn back in December 2020.
It started during the height of the pandemic as a way to manage safety and support the community.
Instead of pocketing a reservation fee, every single dollar goes to a rotating list of local causes.
The staff even helps select the three charities that receive the funds each quarter.
The impact of those $10 charges adds up fast.
Aunt Leah’s Place received nearly $27,000 to help prevent foster care youth from facing homelessness.
Backpack Buddies received over $5,000 to feed children facing food insecurity across the province.
Even the Indian Residential School Survivors Society received over $13,000 to support culturally sensitive counselling.
The full list of organizations impacted by Reservation by Donation:
- A.WARE Foundation
- Aboriginal Front Door Society
- Aunt Leah’s Place
- BabyGoRound
- Backpack Buddies
- Battered Women’s Services
- BC Hospitality Foundation
- Contributing to Lives of Inner City Kids (CLICK)
- Coast Mental Health
- Covenant House
- Dan On Foundation (Golden Age Village of BC)
- David Suzuki Foundation
- Directions Youth Services
- Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre
- Dress for Success Vancouver
- Elimin8hate
- Food Stash
- Growing Chefs
- Help Change My City
- Immigrant Services Society of BC
- Indian Residential School Survivors’ Society
- Lookout Society
- Mission Possible
- Moon Time Connections
- NexUp
- Pacific Immigrant Resources Society (PIRS)
- Potluck Cafe Society
- Rainbow Refugee
- Sheway
- Spectrum Society
- The Bloom Group
- The Greater Vancouver Food Bank
- The Treehouse
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
- Vancouver Black Therapy Fund
- Vancouver Firefighters Charity
- Vancouver Food Runners
- Vancouver Fruit Tree
- Vancouver Hospice Society
- Watari
- Writer’s Exchange
Amélie notes that what started as a safety measure has turned into a realization of what small businesses can actually do.
It proves that a grassroots movement can make a massive dent in local issues.
The restaurant is now preparing to enter its 10th year in 2026 with no plans to stop the program.
Especially with their adjacent bar concept, Good Thief, scoring Michelin Bib Gourmand this Fall.
So the next time you book that table for a chaotic Friday night dinner, you can feel good about the deposit.
You aren’t just skipping the line.
You are helping feed a neighbour or house a youth in need.
Address: 3388 Main Street, Vancouver BC