Many of the shops around here have an afternoon when you can come in and sew for a flat $5, no food provided, but the shop owner is available to answer questions if you need help with your project. They sometimes also have a free day, often associated making comfort quilts. Some of them also host free monthly meetings similar to guild meetings, with group projects/lessons/pass-it-along projects, etc. I think $7 with food is a bargain, but I probably wouldn't participate since I can sew better in my own space.
If I were the shop owner, I would probably not provide food and drinks. There will be some in the group who expect more than what is provided, some who have dietary restrictions (that they may expect to be met), and some who would prefer not to have food at all and resent that they are paying for it. It just opens up the door to disappointment when you try to satisfy everyone. And someone is bound to eventually have a spill, possibly on someone else's project. At most I would have some bottled water on hand.