Good Eats & Good Deeds
The White Dog Cafe has long been an institution in this city.
In the early 80s, I spent a fair amount of time in Philly during my clerkship on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals and during the occasional litigation matter. I then moved to Philly just as the restaurant scene was beginning in the mid-80s. One of the mainstays was the White Dog. Owner Judy Wicks is the perfect combination do-gooder and good foodie.
Today, the Inquirer reports the that White Dog's owner ready to move on, noting "After almost 24 years, Judy Wicks - the godmother of ethical eating in the city - will gradually step away from her White Dog Cafe." The article explains:
Time to turn the White Dog Cafe over to new owners.Luckily, she's in no rush out the door:
"I need to get out of the restaurant business," she said in a recent interview on her deck.
That's a shocker, because after nearly 24 years, Wicks and her cafe seem inextricably entwined. It is her soul, her conscience and compass. She drew the canine sketches that adorn the menu; she painted the murals on the bathroom walls; she used the place as a proving ground for sustainable business practices.
She has stayed true to her roots, from the early 70s when she first moved to Philly and opened a store called "Free People," with her then-husband, Dick Hayne. They split and he went on to found Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie, along with a conservative Republican persona. See Clothes Make the Man.So she'll take her leave slowly, over 10 years. And in the meantime, she'll remain head of the "leadership circle."
"But I want to be out of here," Wicks said. "I want the restaurant to stand - or fall - on its own."
In retirement, Wicks said, she'll continue to spread the gospel of good business.
The Mission Statement of White Dog says it all --
Our Mission is to Fully Serve: Serving Our Customers, Serving Our Community, Serving The Earth, Serving Each Other.
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