Diners are staying home, so this restaurant lets patrons pay what they want

A bartender pours a drink at L'Oca d'Oro, an Italian restaurant in Austin, Texas, that offers a weekly promotion where guests can pay what they want. Sergio Flores for NPR hide caption toggle caption Sergio Flores for NPR Grocery prices got you down? Learn how to cut your food bill with NPR's 4-part newsletter. Sign up here for budgeting tips, meal planning and more. Zayed Al-Hamad's party of four is ready to order. The table plans to share the rosemary sourdough focaccia, fresh mozzarella, polpette, rigatoni alla n'duja and smoked olive carbonara spaghetti. The bill for all that food? It doesn't really matter, because tonight restaurantgoers can pay whatever they want at L'Oca d'Oro in Austin, Texas. "My family in general, we don't always have the most money to spend. So we don't always get to go to somewhere nice when they come over," Al-Hamad said on a Tuesday evening in February. "But I figured this is an opportunity to actually experience something a little better without having to shell out $150 for the four of us." Armand Daniels and Robin Wiley heard about the pay-what-you-will promotion on Instagram. Robin Wiley (left) and Armand Daniels heard about the pay-what-you-will promotion on social media. Sergio Flores for NPR hide caption toggle caption Sergio Flores for NPR "We didn't have a really great Valentine's Day," Daniels said. …