Pi Pizzeria to Dedicate Its Food Truck to Benefit Charity

Bryan Peters

​Pi Pizzeria is known for many things. Its pizza is loved by President Obama, it has a great happy hour, it set the standard for the food-truck boom in St. Louis and, of course, it serves up a mean deep-dish pizza.

Now, founder Chris Sommers intends to use the brand's visibility for good -- by dedicating its food truck, Pi on the Spot, to charitable donations.

The plan, based on Panera Cares and similar to Whole Foods' Community Support Days, is to have a large portion of the truck's profits benefit a different charity each day.

"It sounds like something that could work and really be beneficial," Sommers explains. "It would really fit our goal, to be engaged wherever our customers are."

Pi on the Spot will take its maiden voyage using this model on Friday, December 1, at Barnes-Jewish hospital. Of the day's revenue, half will go to Meds and Foods for Kids, a local organization founded by a Washington University doctor. No further events are set in stone just yet, but Sommers says United Way and Stray Rescue are definitely high in the queue. Customers can nominate their charity of choice through Pi's website.

While this is certainly not the first time a local food truck or restaurant has shared its profits with a worthy cause, Pi on the Spot will be the first dedicated charitable food truck in the area, and perhaps, in the country. Could it be that St. Louis is ahead of the curve on yet another trend?