Che Fico Creates a Scholarship For Patrons to Enjoy Their Restaurant

Chef David Nayfeld & Matt Brewer of Che Fico in San Francisco made a special announcement on Social Media today which has foodies excited about the future of the food industry. In a letter to friends and patrons, they announced a special scholarship fund for patrons who may want to come to Che Fico but may need financial assistance.

Interior of Che Fico – photo from the Che Fico website

Solving societal problems isn’t easy by any means. While we can’t solve everything all at once, we can all take steps forward. The cost of food and overall cost of living going up-up-up-up. It’s refreshing to see Che Fico owners not just acknowledge that a meal at their restaurant might be financially out of reach for some but making a plan to offset the cost through this scholarship.

This isn’t the first time Che Fico has acknowledged the cost to dine at their restaurant was potentially too high for some customers. In 2022, Chef Nayfeld and the Che Fico team actually offered a three-course menu for $55 during specific weekday hours. In his Instagram post at that time, Chef Nayfeld said, “This is a great way to experience our restaurant on a budget!” the Instagram post reads.

Fire-roasted chicken at Che Fico in San Francisco – photo by Douglas Friedman for the New York Times

The Che Fico Scholarship details are published on their Instagram account and I’ve added it below:

“Dear Friends & Patrons,

When we re-opened Che Fico post-pandemic, it was important to us to reimagine our business, providing a more thoughtful approach to our guests and our team of employees. In addition to providing you with a higher-end dining experience through the best possible ingredients and restaurant upgrades, it also meant giving our employees a better working environment, better pay and benefits including profit sharing and 401K matching, and creating a living wage.

Through this, and the rising cost of goods and labor, Che Fico has become more expensive than it was before. We understand this means our restaurant is not affordable for some in our community which is why we have decided to launch the Che Fico Scholarship.

We often reflect back to our early days in this industry when we could barely afford to pay rent. We would spend our entire paychecks on a restaurant we had been wanting to try for months. Experiences like these inspired us and helped shape who we are today as restaurateurs. We are seeking to pay it forward to people who are passionate about food and dining and hopefully provide an inspirational experience for our community.

Through the Che Fico Scholarship, each month we will provide a complimentary, four-course dining experience, with beverage pairings, at Che Fico for those where cost is prohibitive.

We will be partnering with San Francisco community organizations to help us find folks who are interested in experiencing Che Fico.

We are reaching out to you today to help us spread the word to any candidates and organizations you think would be a fit and may be interested. All we need is a brief letter from them telling us why dining at Che Fico would be important or impactful. If selected, our team will be in touch to secure timing details and learn more about who will be dining and their individual needs.

Letters should be sent to scholarship@chefico.com.

Thank you for your continued support of Che Fico.

Warm regards, David Nayfeld and Matt Brewer”

David Nayfeld and Matt Brewer working side by side – photo from the Che Fico website

What is Che Fico?

Che Fico is a restaurant in San Francisco which specializes in Italian cuisine. Chef David Nayfeld has been nominated for Outstanding Chef  by James Beard Foundation and is currently a semi-finalist.

Their food is decadent and delicious. Eater even talked about a time that Gwyneth Paltrow was spotted there. People from all over covet this restaurant and for good reason. Rachel Levin on Eater said, “Rarely does a restaurant with so much hype actually live up to it. But from the first sip of my Coriander to the last scrap of olive oil cake through its puddle of roasted strawberry vinaigrette, I was a believer.”

Fun fact: “Che Fico” translates to “that’s so cool!” in Italian slang.

photo from Eater SF – Photo by Patricia Chang

Any other fun things happening at Che Fico?

There are some other exciting things happening at Che Fico. On March 14th, they have a special event featuring journalist, best-selling author, and Emmy-nominated television host Katie Parla. They will be celebrating the release of her new book, Food of the Italian Islands.
Reservations seem to be all booked up at the moment but it’s worth mentioning in case you can somehow score a seat to this special event.

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