“I Am Generous,” my friends and I sang out to the waitress. We weren’t professing our own positive traits; we were actually using self-affirmation code to get us to some yummy guac. It was a good thing too, since I decided “I Am Elated” would go well with a side of guacamole. Aside from my enjoying my “elated” enchilada, I was experiencing a quirky approach to a triple bottom line business.

With my first visit to San Francisco this past weekend, my former New Yorker friend from high school recommended we go to Cafe Gratitude–a place that was “so San Francisco.” With at least three-fourths of our table New Yorkers, it was understandable we would squeeze out a few giggles as we ordered California-grown raw and vegan cuisine, chiming menu item phrases we imagined Rhonda Byrnes might concoct.

Though we had fun mocking the menu and our tabletop game (one card asked us to imagine receiving a parking ticket and then being thankful for said ticket), I was truly impressed with the restaurant. I enjoyed my appetizer, entree and dessert; knowing the ingredients were primarily locally-sourced and entirely organic left an even better taste in my mouth. The wait staff seemed genuinely happy to be working there and were exceptionally knowledgeable. Finally, as if the food served wasn’t already enough to reduce the establishment’s carbon footprint, Cafe Gratitude takes green eating a step further with compostable to-go containers (right down to the cornstarch labels!) and with deliveries by bio-diesel trucks.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get any food porn while I was there. The beautiful shot here I snagged from the New York Times review, which is also a fun read on the restaurant. It was really quite the experience.

And actually, I do believe gratitude can be a powerful force and an important human expression, so I was fascinated by its dining incarnation. During our visit, we were also asked the question of the day, “What is good in your life?” Admittedly, I did do some reflection and was happy to (internally) report I had a big list.