Channeling wealth and power to those impacted by mass incarceration.
We are fighting for a world where those who have “paid their debts to society” are All Square, meaning truly unencumbered by their criminal records socially, economically, and politically.
Our nonprofit restaurant serves three purposes:
1. A Home for our People
Competitive jobs in powerful, welcoming environment are hard to come by for folks who come home from prison. Offering this to our people is the most vital function of our restaurant. Included with employment is access to (free) therapy with Creative Kuponya and (free) civil legal services with our Law Firm.
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2. A Hub for our Community
In order to build, to seek, to commune, to understand—we need safe places to break bread.
3. An Economic Engine
Proceeds from our restaurant pay our staff and all profits feed into two key programs:
our Prison to Law Pipeline and our Fellowship.
Our History
All Square was founded by civil rights attorney Emily Hunt Turner with mentorship from criminal justice experts Calvin Duncan and Bruce Reilly.
The All Square Restaurant was first funded into existence in 2016 by community across the world through a Kickstarter campaign. This funding was then augmented by grants from the Fourth Generation Fund and the Minneapolis Foundation in 2017 in addition to tireless contributions from Heather Olsen, Roslynn Pedracine and Melanie Hoffert. The promise of All Square and momentum from a TV segment ultimately inspired two donors to secure a construction loan to get the doors of All Square’s restaurant open on September 8, 2018.
Special thanks to Jodi Ayres and Heather Bray, owners of the LowBrow for their pro bono restaurant guidance, Ken Koense for his pro bono architectural services, and Architecture Office who provided pro bono design for our flagship restaurant location.