There’s a new restaurant in San Diego that has a goal to do more than just serve great food, but to also help kids in need.
The founder of the popular Buona Forchetta restaurants is opening a new restaurant in South Park called Matteo. Owner Matteo Cattaneo opened his latest eatery with a mission to donate all of its profits to charitable causes in order to help out schools and students in unprivileged areas.
He got the idea to open Matteo after making a previous donation to the art program at McKinley Elementary School.
“I remember this one parent who came and said ‘thank you for what you're doing for my kids.’ That is what made me start to think what can I do, and how can I do it, and I know how to do restaurants,” Cattaneo said.
Since then, Cattaneo has donated nearly $19,000 to McKinley to purchase audio equipment for its theatre arts program.
“We are all in this together,” he said. “We all hope for a better future. If you want a better future we have to start from the foundation.”
Right now, Matteo serves breakfast and lunch, but Cattaneo hopes to expand the menu to include dinner services in the summer. The restaurant recently held a soft opening, but the official grand opening is set for March 7.
