Restaurant in Rijeka offers free meals to those in need

(Photo: Rijeka na Fejsu)

A simple sign in the heart of Rijeka has captured the attention of many locals this week, after a photo of it was shared widely on social media.

The message, placed outside the restaurant My Wok on the city’s main promenade Korzo, reads:

“Dear fellow citizens, if you are hungry and cannot afford to pay – you can always get something to eat here. Pay when you can or never. No one deserves to be hungry.”

While the sign has only recently gone viral, the practice behind it is far from new.

As 24sata reported, for the past four years, My Wok has quietly offered free meals to those in need, thanks to the kindness of its owner, Idir Belić.

Originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belić (47) was born and raised in Rijeka and has spent much of his working life abroad, including in Africa and across various international work camps and platforms. His experiences, he says, have shaped a deep empathy for others.

(Photo: Rijeka na Fejsu)

“I come from a working-class family. We never had much, but we always had enough,” Belić told 24sata. “I have never been in a situation where I had absolutely nothing, but I have seen a lot in life. If everyone helped where they could, the world would be a better place.”

Despite the growing attention, Belić is modest about the initiative and hesitant to see it as anything extraordinary. “This is not about promotion. I just want people to know that solidarity still exists. In Sarajevo, you will see signs like this everywhere – it is not something new.”

(Photo: Rijeka na Fejsu)

In the four years since he took over My Wok, Belić says that only once has someone tried to take advantage of his generosity. On two other occasions, he noted that younger, healthy individuals who later proved able to pay chose not to.

But these are rare exceptions in an otherwise overwhelmingly positive experience.