The Open Cafe was formed to create instant community by anyone, anywhere as effortlessly as possible. A wiki page on the web represents a Cafe location in your physical area. It can start by talking with friends, meeting at a local park once a week, and eventually opening daily as a Cafe in a commercial environment as a non-commercial enterprise. The Open Cafe is free and community supported. If funds are needed, fundraisers can be held.
Wikis are essential to the enterprise. Two of the most foundational are the Event Calender and Menu Calender wiki. The Event Calender wiki sets the location of the happening, a place for participants to create a schedule for activity. The event can be anything from a small discussion group to a packed open mike session, or both simultaneously. The Menu Calender wiki is pretty straight forward, if you have a food or drink item to bring, list that item on the date of the event. Just as open source software creates a single program from anywhere freely, so too is the nature of the Open Cafe.
Once the location is picked and a meet-up date set, the first formations can be like a potluck, where each participant brings food or drink for several people. As a Cafe establishes itself, it can promote food donations and store items. These donations are then listed on a Pantry wiki so participants can choose what to prepare during event times. No event time? Create an event time to prepare a meal, snack, or perhaps just a simple cup of coffee among those interested in discussing a narrow theoretical topic, like peer governance. Small towns may only have enough participants to meet once or twice a week, while major cities have the ability to stay open at all hours, 24/7.