Green Cafe's Crowdsourcing Doesn't Spoil the Stew

When Elements, a vegetarian and raw food restaurant, opens in DC next year, it will have one owner, but almost 400 people who conceived and developed the idea, the Washington Post reports. An online (and offline) community is helping with everything from designing a logo to greening the building. But can crowdsourcing make the jump from the tech world to restaurants?

After all, food is a tough business, with a big chunk of eateries failing in their first year. But that's exactly why the owner is seeking the wisdom of the crowd. "Most businesses are started because you have a great idea, and you take it out to the public to see if they like it,” she said. “We're finding out what people want and doing it.”
(More crowd stories.)