Common Grounds Cafe

On January 16th 2008, Common Grounds Cafe was opened by Julie Martinez as part of our parent organization People For Care And Learning (PCL), with the vision of creating a missional business that gives poor and disadvantaged people in Siem Reap a working chance. We believe that instead of handing out handouts, we should give people the opportunity to work in the hospitality and restaurant industry.

Over the past 11 years we have provided training and jobs to dozens of Cambodian young people, and we have ecstatically cheered them on watching many of them go on to successful careers, some of them working in some of the top hotels and restaurants Cambodia has to offer.

Dalath Loeut, one of the 13 initial employees, was hired in 2008. He is from a poor family in the countryside of Battambang province and he had no previous job experience in the restaurant industry. He began working for us as a waiter and, through hard work and dedication, he worked his way up to take on more and greater responsibility. Dalath was promoted to Common Grounds manager in 2015. He now oversees all of the day-to-day activities. He is now on the other side of the spectrum, providing hope to young people with similar backgrounds to himself.