About the World Peace Cafe - Atlanta
We're Not Just Any Restaurant 
The World Peace Cafe is unlike any other restaurant in Atlanta, and we're not just saying that. Built with donations and by volunteers, and owned and operated by Rameshori Kadampa Buddhist Center, all of our profits go to support meditation classes and special events designed to help others find peace of mind.
Most of the people who cook and serve our excellent food are volunteers who believe in the premise that
"Without inner peace, outer peace is impossible." -- Ven. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
Peaceful communities and nations begin with peaceful people. Peaceful people have peaceful minds. The mission of the World Peace Cafe and its owner, Rameshori Center, is to help others find a peace arising from within their own mind. When our mind is peaceful, we are happy and we can make others happy. When our mind is unpeaceful, we are unhappy and cannot make anyone happy.
"World Peace" Means Our Effort is Worldwide
While we are the only World Peace Cafe in Atlanta, we're not the only one in the world. Buddhist communities throughout the world who belong to the same New Kadampa Tradition are building their own World Peace Cafes. Some of these are small coffee shops located within Buddhist Centers, others are full-scale vegetarian restaurants like ourselves. (To the left, for example, you see a photo from the World Peace Cafe in Hong Kong.) Each World Peace Cafe is operated by local volunteers and adheres to the same vision of supporting the creation of a peaceful world. To see a list of other World Peace Cafes, click here.
We're Trying to Make the World a Better Place
In addition to our focus on inner peace, we also recognize that we need to work together to create sustainable, responsible businesses. To that end, almost our entire menu is organic, and whenever we can, we buy local produce and support other local businesses. Here are a few examples of how we try to "do our part" every day to help our environment, our community, and our world:
- Our coffee is more than just green: Not only is our coffee organic and shade-grown, it comes from a fair trade, family operated coffee plantation. Not only that, but part of the profits from that coffee plantation are re-invested into the community, helping improve education and other community resources near the Nicaraguan plantation. To learn more, visit our coffee supplier, JavaVino.
- Our take-out packaging is biodegradable: We stay away from styrofoam. Even our take-out silverware are corn-based, meaning that they will biodegrade and not release yet more plastic into the environment. And when we clean, we try to use as many non-toxic cleaning supplies as possible while still getting the job done.
- We support other local businesses: In addition to getting our coffee from Atlanta-based roaster JavaVino, we buy our desserts from Southern Sweets in Decatur, and most of our weekly groceries from the Dekalb and Buford Farmer's Markets. You won't see big, refrigerated trucks pulling up to the World Peace Cafe providing our week's supply of ingredients.
Here's what others are saying about their experience with us:
"Hardened New Yorker always comes here on her trips to Atlanta. Fresh food, nice people, relaxed atmosphere, easy prices." Susan E, New York City