The Madison community is full of diverse restaurants, but for some people, dining out isn't possible.

However, a local chef is hoping to change that by allowing people to pay what they can for their meals.

“It's stressful. It’s tiring. It’s exhausting, but I love it,” said Dave Heide, restaurant owner and chef.

Heide is known for his Cajun food and the specialty drinks in his speakeasy.

"I own Liliana’s Restaurant in Fitchburg and Charlie’s on Main in Oregon. They're both named after my kids," said Heide.

When Chef Heide and his family welcomed their third child, John, people wondered if there was going to be a new business, too.

"Literally as we announced that we were pregnant, the very first question from friends and social media was, ‘What’s the new restaurant called?'" said Heide.

Heide is not only known for his culinary creations but also for giving back, and community service is the backbone of his restaurants.

"We try to make an impact where we can," said Heide.

That impact turned into inspiration for Little John's, according to Heide.

“The idea was, ‘What if we can create a pay-what-you-can restaurant?’" said Heide.

It's not a new concept, according to Heide, and he said he is excited to open one up in Madison.

Right now he is working on forming partnerships.

"The three biggest expenses in owning a restaurant is overhead. Your building, your rent your debt load, your food costs, so that's all the cost of your food that you bring in or liquor, and number three is your labor cost,” said Heide.

Heide is also looking for a space to open up Little John's that would be almost rent free with the help of community workers. As for the food, Heide is looking at working with local grocery stores, according to the chef.

"What if we could work with grocery stores and instead of them throwing that out what if we could repurpose it?" asked Heide. “It’s still totally fantastic. We're going to cut that little dot out of the apple and it's totally perfect."

For staff, Heide is looking for volunteers and hiring veterans.

"People tend to forget that we are all human. And why can’t we put more energy in and focus on what makes us all the same and what we can do to help each other, instead of what we can figure out what we hate about someone,” said Heide.

Chef Heide said he will be posting updates on Little John's on his other restaurant Facebook pages. The goal is to open up Little John's by April of 2019.

Chef Heide said he wants the community to get involved in the creation of Little John's. Any ideas for how to help can be sent to daveheide@lilianasrestaurant.com.