During times of crisis — large or small, foreign or domestic — the restaurant industry is often the first to organize efforts for relief. Last week’s devastating earthquake in Haiti, which has left thousands dead or injured and has destroyed much of the capital city of Port-au-Prince, has proven to be no different. Already, the largest of restaurant companies and the smallest of operations have orchestrated efforts to raise funds, collect or distribute food and water, and organize volunteer efforts to help those in need.
As Diane Downing, vice president of The Common Man family of restaurants in New Hampshire said, “It’s not just about supporting our local neighbors; it’s about how we can make an impact worldwide.”
Help is coming in all shapes and sizes. While McDonald’s Corp. has pledged $1 million between its corporate office and Latin America-based franchisee, Arcos Dorados, the Food Network star Tyler Florence said this week on Twitter: “On behalf of my partner Max and I, we are donating 150,000 units of Sprout [Florence's line of organic baby food] to AmeriCares for Haiti.”
Nation’s Restaurant News has reached out to its sources and gathered numerous industry efforts from phone calls, e-mails, Twitter feeds, Facebook postings and published reports. They are listed here via region with contact information to encourage participation. This list will continue to be updated with new information when available.
NORTHEAST
Massachusetts: Burtons Grill, a New England-based restaurant group, will donate 15 percent of its revenue from Monday’s sales at its four restaurants to the William J. Clinton Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund. The chain has restaurants in Boston, Andover and Hingham, Mass. The company also has a location in South Windsor, Conn. The restaurants are open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
New Hampshire: The Common Man family of restaurants is calling upon residents of New Hampshire to help with disaster relief efforts by attending a “Common Effort for Haiti” event at 15 of its restaurant locations throughout the state.
On Sunday, the Common Man will donate 50 percent of each guest’s food bill, to be split by the American Red Cross and the nonprofit organization Partners in Development.
Information about “Common Effort for Haiti” can be found at www.thecman.com and the restaurant’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thecommonmannh.
New Jersey: Wakefern Food Corp., on behalf of its ShopRite and PriceRite stores, will donate $250,000 to the American Red Cross.
New York :Philippe Massoud of Restaurant Ilili is proposing restaurants in New York make Sunday, Jan. 24, “Haiti Dine Out Night,” with 10 percent of sales going to charities specifically targeted to Haiti. Servers, if they like, are being asked to donate 5 percent of their tips that night. So far, participants, according to published reports, include Hill Country, Bar Breton and Aldea.
Knife + Fork in the East Village has said 20 percent of sales and tips on Jan. 20 will go toward relief efforts.
The Bell House in Brooklyn plans a host of live music and other entertainment on Jan. 27, with all of the money going toward the relief effort.
Hearth, on Tuesday, Jan. 19 will donate 50 percent of gross revenues to help fund the relief effort.
Washington, D.C. :Washington restaurateur Ashok Bajaj announced a month-long fundraiser to benefit the American Red Cross Relief for Haiti. Bajaj is encouraging his employees to donate to the cause and has vowed to match their donation dollar for dollar. In addition, Bajaj is reaching out to patrons for their support in a month-long showcase of signature items from his award-winning restaurants including 701, Ardeo/Bardeo, Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca, The Bombay Club, Oval Room and Rasika. From Jan. 19 to Feb. 19, when guests enjoy the featured appetizer or main course, a dollar from the sale of each of these dishes will be donated to the cause.
SOUTHEAST
Florida: Martini Tuesdays is a weekly cocktail party that meets at different South Beach venues every Tuesday at 9 pm, and it is doing its part to contribute to the relief efforts in Haiti. There will be a drop box for non-perishable food and clothing and a portion of the proceeds from the evening’s cocktails will be donated. This week’s location: Red, The Steakhouse
Lime Fresh Mexican Grill is donating 500 cases of water and organizing drop points for food, water, clothing and supplies at its five locations in South Florida.
Burger King Corp.’s charitable arm, the Have It Your Way Foundation, has donated $50,000 to the American Red Cross for use in Haitian disaster relief. Anne Chwat, foundation president, said that although Burger King does not have units in Haiti, the company’s headquarters city of Miami “is home to one of the largest Haitian communities outside of the island. The people of Haiti are suffering and many of our employees, franchisees, guests and their families have also been significantly impacted.” Burger King also is collecting essential supplies from employees and distributing them through the University of Miami’s medical teams.
Kentucky :Yum! Brands Inc. is directing $500,000 from its World Hunger Relief global effort to provide food for earthquake victims in Haiti. While the company has no restaurants in Haiti, employees around the globe are mobilizing to collect much-needed items and are making cash donations as well.
South Carolina: Beginning Saturday, Jan. 16 until Sat., Jan. 30, Neighborhood Dining Group will donate $5 to Haiti relief efforts for every Restaurant Week menu sold. The menu offering at McCrady’s is $35, and $30 at The Buccaneer and Queen Anne’s Revenge.
“Our hope is that at the end of the month we can contribute upwards of $10,000 to support the Red Cross’ disaster relief efforts,” the restaurant group said.
For more information: www.qarevenge.com; www.thebuccaneerrestaurant.com; www.mccradysrestaurant.com.
MIDWEST
Illinois :McDonald’s Corp. in Oak Brook has pledged $500,000 to the International Federation of the Red Cross. Its franchisee partner in Latin America, Arcos Dorados, also has agreed to match that donation through a grassroots program to raise funds at its 1,700 locations. From Jan. 16 until Jan. 22, all McDonald’s restaurants operated by Arcos Dorados in 19 countries will donate 50 cents from the sales of individual Big Mac sandwiches and Big Mac Extra Value Meals.
U.S. Foodservice, a food distributor in Rosemont, has donated $50,000 to the American Red Cross International Response Fund.
HEARTY, a comfort-food spot in Chicago, is donating 5 percent of the week’s gross sales to the International Medical Corps.
Le Passage is hosting Haiti fundraisers for the next three Fridays, beginning this week. General manager Joel Barnes will collect canned goods at the door, and all tips he receives will benefit Haiti.
Nightlife impresario Billy Dec will host a fundraiser at Rockit Wrigleyville to benefit the American Red Cross. The restaurant’s regular Saturday night Tweet'N'Meet will be used to raise money.
Chicago’s Tapas Valencia in the South Loop and its sibling restaurant, Meson Sabika, in Naperville, Ill., are donating 100 percent of their dining sales on select dates to the American Red Cross for emergency disaster relief. All lunch and dinner proceeds will be donated at Meson Sabika on Jan. 19, and dinner proceeds on Jan. 26 at Tapas Valencia will benefit Haiti as well.
mk executive chef Erick Williams and pastry chef Tony Galzin will cook up signature bites for a benefit with all proceeds going to Oxfam International. mk will match all donations, and the party includes passed hors d'oeuvres, wine and cocktails. The party takes place 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 18. Tickets are $50.
DMK Burger Bar in Chicago will donate 25 percent of each $8 burger sold until Sunday, Jan. 24, to the American Red Cross Haitian Relief Fund or Share Our Strength. In addition, the restaurant will have a Haitian Relief Fund donation raffle for $20 per ticket, with the winner receiving a month of free burgers. The raffle drawing will take place on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 12 a.m.
Michigan :The Winchester in Grand Rapids will donate $1 of each sale for the next three days, and match the money raised through Saturday. The restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. over the next three days.
Missouri :It has been reported that Bleu in Columbia will be serving Haitian cuisine from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday with profits going to Florida 1 Disaster Medical Team.
Wisconsin: Sobelmans Tallgrass Grill in Milwaukee will give a $1 for every burger they sell Saturday, Jan. 16 and Sunday, Jan. 17 to the Red Cross. See www.Milwaukeesbestburgers.com
SOUTHWEST
Mississippi :McAlister’s Deli has announced via Twitter that for every cookie purchased at the chain’s locations, it will donate 10 cents to help Haitian relief efforts.
Texas :FREEBIRDS World Burrito is hosting an event Monday, Jan. 18, at its South Congress location in Austin from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. to help raise $50,000 for Thirst No More, a local organization that sends PAKs filled with supplies, including flashlights, canned food, pain medicine, water and clothes, to help after natural disasters. The FREEBIRDS event will feature live music and free appetizers and soft drinks.
Bengal Coast in Dallas will have a special dinner on Wednesday, Jan. 20, where $10 of the $29 price tag will go to Haiti relief. Details can be found here.
Carino’s Italian, the Austin-based chain, with support from the Carino’s Cares Foundation is making a donation to the American Red Cross in an effort to help the Haiti earthquake victims. On Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 16 and 17, a percentage of restaurant profits will be donated.
WEST COAST
California :The Caribbean restaurant TiGeorges Chicken in Los Angeles, owned by Haiti emigrant Georges Laguerre, hosted a dinner Thursday to benefit relief organizations, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Gourmandise Desserts bakery is hosting a cupcake baking class on Jan. 26 to benefit the Heartline Ministries orphanage in Haiti. The class is $65 and sweets will be raffled off after the session.
DineEquity Inc., parent to the Applebee’s and IHOP chains, has created a fund to benefit the Red Cross International Relief Fund. The company has seeded the fund with a $5,000 contribution and is encouraging team members at the support centers in Glendale and Applebee’s headquarters in Lenexa, Kan., to contribute. As an incentive, a minimum donation of $25 allows the team member to wear jeans to work for a week.
Applebee’s 400 corporate stores also are planning a campaign to encourage customers to contribute to the Red Cross, via a purchase of an “apple” that will be posted in the restaurant, with proceeds benefiting the relief fund.
Menchie’s, a self-serve frozen yogurt franchise, held a Haitian Earthquake Support Day on Friday at all locations in which 5 percent of the day's systemwide sales will go to support the American Red Cross Haiti relief fund. In addition to the donation, each Menchie’s will display a relief collection box encouraging customers to donate clothing, blankets, canned goods and money that will be presented to local American Red Cross affiliates.
Kabuki Japanese Restaurants, with 13 locations in Southern California, Arizona and Las Vegas, has placed donation boxes at each restaurant for customers contribute any amount to aid the people of Haiti. As Kabuki typically serves between 500 and 800 people per day at each location, the company said that even if 30 percent of its customers donate at least $1, it can raise a substantial amount over a two week span. Donations will go to the American Red Cross, Southern California Registered Nurses Association, Doctors Without Borders, and actor Ben Stiller’s organization, StillerStrong.org.
Los Angeles-based Innovative Dining Group on Tuesday, Jan. 19, is planning to donate 20 percent of proceeds from most of its restaurant locations to three relief organizations: Yele Haiti, the American Red Cross and the Clinton Foundation. Participating restaurants include BOA Steakhouse locations in Santa Monica and West Hollywood, Calif.; Sushi Roku in Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Pasadena, Calif. and Scottsdale, Ariz.; Katana in West Hollywood; and Robata Bar in Santa Monica.
The Hitching Post II Restaurant and Winery in Buellton, Calif., famed for its role in the movie Sideways, is planning to donate $1 per dinner guest, starting Jan. 15 through Jan. 21. Additionally, the company will also donate $1 for every $50 order of wines, foods and other gift items through the restaurant’s website, www.hitchingpost2.com. Donations will go to Direct Relief International’s relief efforts in Haiti, which includes providing medical supplies.
INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
Share Our Strength has already mobilized $140,000 to support emergency relief efforts. Stay up-to-date on the group’s efforts on behalf of Haiti and find other emergency relief resources at Strength.org.
The National Restaurant Association said it has pledged “thousands of dollars” in a blog post from chief executive Dawn Sweeny late Friday.
