A Canberra icon who’s got the Monopoly board to prove it, Akiba is turning ten next week, and if you were due for your next visit, or even if you weren’t, they are celebrating with a night of free dining. So, you might want to clear your schedule.

On Monday 23 December, locals are invited to head into Akiba from 7pm and order whatever they want (excluding drinks) for free. The catch? The restaurant only asks you to donate to men’s mental health charity, The Fly Program.

The launch of their official partnership with the charity, which focuses on combating men’s mental health through outdoor experiences, Akiba wants to see statistics of poor mental health among men in the hospo industry improve.

“Notoriously, hospitality has some of the worst mental health statistics in the country, with male chefs almost one and half times more likely to die by suicide in Australia than people in other professions,” says Co-director of Akiba, Mike Harrington.

“The partnership with the Fly Program for our 10th birthday is only the beginning of our efforts to reduce the effects hospitality has on men’s mental health. Next year, we plan on expanding this program to be able to take on participants from every hospitality venue in Canberra,” he says.

A first come, first serve basis for groups of up to five with a 1.5 seating time, expect a line down the street, with eager diners wanting their Akiba fix encouraged to come early. However, to give you a taste of what’s to come, they will also be handing out some of their famous entrees, including bao buns and dumplings, to those in the line.

“We know we wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for the support of all our customers and we couldn’t think of a more perfect gesture to say thank you than by having one big birthday bash, serving up our entire food menu, free of charge,” says Harrington.

“We don’t know if we’ll be able to get through every single person who wants to dine on the night, so we want to make sure we treat everyone who has gone out of their way to join us for the celebrations.”

Visit Akiba for more.