Fork Real Café earns community recognition

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Fork Real Café in Rapid City recently received a community service award from the South Dakota Retailers Association.

The award is presented to a business that “go above and beyond to give back to the residents of the community it serves,” according to a release by SD Retailers.

“The Fork Real Café provides an opportunity for people from all walks of life to enjoy a quality meal, whether they pay the value of the meal or earn the meal through volunteer work,” said South Dakota Retailers Association Executive Director Nathan Sanderson. “They truly deserve to be recognized for creating a real sense of community.”

At Fork Real, patrons pay what they can for a meal. Some pay the value of the meal while others might volunteer at the restaurant in exchange for a meal. Others pay it forward by purchasing a meal token for someone else.

“When we first started out, I really thought the impact that we would have would be people coming through the front door,” owner Rhonda Pearcy said. “But as we continue on, we realize what a big impact it is through the back door, our volunteer door. Connections are made in the kitchen just sharing and walking with someone else. We do feed people, but now we realize that we’re feeding people kind of in a different way.”

Fork Real Café served breakfast and lunch. It is at 324 Saint Joseph St., Rapid City.