Liz Biro

liz.biro@indystar.com

For more information about the Patachou Foundation and how you can help%2C go to www.thepatachoufoundation.org or call %28317%29 202-0765.

The foundation served more than 2%2C000 meals this summer to Indianapolis children.

When Public Greens opens in mid-November, owner Martha Hoover will do all she can to ensure the Broad Ripple restaurant turns a profit — even though she plans to give away every penny.

Hoover's 11 Indianapolis restaurants, including Café Patachou, Petit Chou and Napolese, and their staffs already feed underprivileged children food that is as good as what is served at her restaurants.

After years of supporting different causes, Hoover got to thinking: If she dedicated profits from a single restaurant, the company could more effectively focus on the growing problem of childhood hunger in Indianapolis.

In 2013 Hoover created The Patachou Foundation. The organization provides healthy meals to children affected by homelessness and hunger. The foundation also educates kids about the food they are eating.

Public Greens has the tagline "Urban kitchen with a mission" because all of the restaurant's profits will benefit the foundation.

"The company is so stable that we're able to do this" Hoover said of Patachou, Inc. "It is a large financial commitment, but one that we think is necessary."

"One of the things we have always measured ourselves against is our commitment to the community," Hoover said of the company, which was established in 1989 when the first Cafe Patachou opened at 4901 N. Pennsylvania St.

Hoover recruited some heavy hitters to serve on the foundation's board, including former World Food Programexecutive director Jim Morris, as well as Sally Bindley of School on Wheels, David Harris of The Mind Trust and former Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Goldsmith.

This year, the Patachou Foundation every week will provide food for 240 Indianapolis children in need and plans to serve 320 children a week in 2015, said Christina Pippen, Patachou, Inc. brand manager. This summer more than 2,000 meals were prepared and served by Patachou employees at Brookside Park, Pippen said.

Some not-for-profit restaurants exist to provide food service training to help people enter the workforce. But there are few — if any — successful examples of restaurants that donate all of their proceeds.

" 'All' is the key word," said Patrick Tamm, president and CEO of the Indiana Restaurant & Lodging Association. "To donate all your profits, that's a pretty substantial undertaking."

Tamm thinks Hoover's track record of building a loyal customer base and operating successful brands over the long-term puts her in position to make Public Greens successful.

"You have an owner that's tried and true. She knows exactly how to run a successful restaurant," he said.

Public Greens, 902 E. 64th St., will be as educational for customers as the kids it helps. Using farm-fresh foods, cooks will prepare creative dishes that are served cafeteria-style but in a contemporary designed setting.

With an entrance facing the Monon Trail, guests may pop in for a quick pick-me-up or they may drive to the restaurant for a full meal. They'll order dishes — brunch, salads, burgers, sandwiches, entrees and desserts — directly from cooks and be able to see the kitchen as they make their way through the line.

Expect creative touches such as a kale Caesar salad, roasted beets with fresh oranges and feta and lavender-seasoned carrots as well as homey dishes like rice pudding, fruit tarts and the flank steak Hoover makes for her own family.

Greens are already growing in gardens outside the restaurant, scheduled to debut around Nov. 14 and be open daily. Hoover said she hopes to have chickens pecking about, too. A long, outdoor fireplace will warm diners.

Call Liz Biro at (317) 444-6264. Follow her on Twitter @lizbiro, Instagram @lizbirodish and Facebook. Email her at elizabeth.biro@indystar.com.

The Patachou Foundation

For more information about the foundation and how you can help, go to www.thepatachoufoundation.org or call (317) 202-0765.