Smile Politely. Speak Directly. A Champaign-Urbana Culture Blog

Trust me: you can’t generally get authentic Lebanese food in any American city, let alone any Midwestern college town. So it warrants a visit or two to downtown Champaign, where on Thursday and Friday evenings it is offered up fresh at Sam’s Café. Though the menu is more limited than, say, Zorbas, the food is more flavorful and “traditional” (to a, uh, cultural tradition outside the United States) … and they even have Baklava.

After 30 years of hand-to-mouth operations, the Red Herring Vegetarian Restaurant finds itself in a real bind. According to Herring staff member Chad Knowles, "For 30 years the Red Herring's yearly losses have been subsidized by a generous supporter. The restaurant has never been able to sustain itself, always needing cash boosts throughout the year. Last Tuesday we were informed that our cushion of subsidization was to be no more, leaving me with the challenge of tidying up the business model so that it can turn a profit, raising $3,700 to pay back our standing loan and continuing to raise our customer base so as to end this school year with at least $2,000 in total. Right now, my main concern is raising $1,000 in the next three days. This will be the easiest of our challenges." Knowles started a Facebook group to drum up support, and it looks like the tide is turning, but they still need your help to keep operating.

We asked some of our writers to share their Red Herring stories, and you can read them after the jump. Feel free to share your own stories in the comments. Even if you don't click the rest of the article, though, please patronize the Red Herring for lunch any chance you get.