OKC Restaurant Charges $1 For Water For A Good Cause

It's something most of us don't give much thought to when we eat out at a restaurant, that free glass of water sitting on the table. But an Oklahoma City non-profit is on a mission to show us how that water can help put an end to a world crisis.

Bricktown's "In the Raw" restaurant is asking its customers to do something out of the ordinary, pay $1 for that glass of water.

"At first, they're kind of like, a little bit in shock, what are you asking us to do?" said Curtis Bramlett, "In the Raw" owner. "They don't get it. But then we explain it to them and think it's a great thing."

The great thing, every cent of that dollar goes to Wishing Well, where it will provide water for someone in desperate need for one year.

"We partner with ‘Water For' and a few other local Oklahoma City organizations, as well as international ones, to drill clean water wells," said Ryan Groves, Wishing Well President. "And once you take the cost and you break it down, our actual cost to get someone clean water for an entire year really is less than a dollar."

Ryan Groves started Wishing Well just five years ago and is blown away by the customer's excitement to get involved.

"When we were approached, I thought, I think it sounds like a great idea. It sounds like a great cause and I'd be willing to pay a dollar for that glass of water for that cause," one customer said.

"We just thought, what an empowering message. That's something everybody can do. The world's biggest problem gone like that. Why not do it in a way that changes culture. Why don't we end the world water crisis in our lifetime," Groves said.

The Water for One program will expand later this week. Bolero, which is located right next door to "In the Raw" will join in on Friday. Both restaurants are located on the upper level next to Harkins Theater.

Wishing Well hopes to turn this small start here into a national effort to reach the nearly one billion people around the world who still don't have access to clean water.

To learn more about the Wishing Well