Providing something for free is not exactly charging a price, but it is also not something they do. At least I seldom see a restaurant have people in need come into the restaurant and eat for free next to people that are paying. However, to bend your analogy to the current situation, you come into the restaurant, there is no menu, the chef decides what you need, you find out how much it cost weeks later, the price can vary 500% based on which "hunger insurance" plan you have selected. If the restaurant decides to give you the meal for free, they come up with the highest possible price for tax purposes.