WASHINGTON Whether cheering on a Special Olympics floor hockey game or inviting inner-city children to frolic near the beach, restaurant companies, their owners and employees, always have been the cornerstone of neighborhood philanthropy.
On Monday, the National Restaurant Association announced the winners of the 2009 Restaurant Neighbor Award, which honors foodservice companies that show commitment to community service. The winners — spanning from a large chain to a single-unit operator — received not only recognition from their industry peers but also a $5,000 donation toward each of their causes.
The winning restaurants were: Huntington Beach, Calif.-based BJ’s Restaurants Inc., which won in the large-business category; Rod’s Steak & Seafood Grille in Morristown, N.J., in the midsize-business category; Madam’s Organ in Washington, D.C., in the small-business category; and Alex Ray, owner of Ashland, N.H.-based Common Man Family of Restaurants, who was honored in the Cornerstone Humanitarian category.
“We are proud to honor these exceptional restaurants and community leaders for their dedicated commitment to enhancing the quality of life for everyone in their communities,” Dawn Sweeney, president and chief executive of the NRA, said in a statement. “Our industry has a strong foundation and long history of philanthropy and works to make a difference in local communities across the nation. This year’s Restaurant Neighbor Award winners were selected for their innovative approaches and enormous efforts.”
The NRA and founding partner American Express developed the Restaurant Neighbor Award to raise awareness for the industry’s many charitable endeavors and to inspire other operators to get involved in their communities.
“American Express is proud to partner with the National Restaurant Association to honor restaurants across the country for the invaluable contributions they make to their communities,” said Curtis Wilson, vice president and general manager of the Restaurant Industries Group for American Express. “The impact restaurateurs have in their communities through charitable activities and relief projects is tremendous, and we hope their actions inspire others to do the same.”
BJ’s Restaurants, owner of 87 casual-dining restaurants, deploys a “TASC Force,” which stands for Team Action to Support Communities, to achieve its philanthropic goals in the 13 states where it operates. Recent examples of its team members’ charitable actions included San Diego-area employees cheering on participants at a Special Olympics floor hockey tournament and staff members of the Greenwood, Ind., restaurant building a playground for KaBoom!, a national playground-building organization.
The Keller siblings, proprietors of Rod’s Steak & Seafood Grille, have carried on their parents’ commitment to philanthropy since taking over the restaurant in 1972. Rod’s is a longtime support of a community soup kitchen and the local Market Street Mission. In 1990, the restaurant began its involvement with Eva’s Village, an organization in Paterson, N.J., that provides emergency shelter, job training, medical care and transitional housing, as well as food to the homeless. Rod’s raises money for Eva’s Village with an annual golf tournament, a fundraising gala and holiday dinners
At Madam’s Organ, a restaurant and bar in Washington’s Adam’s Morgan neighborhood, owner Billy Duggan has been committed to serving children living in rough neighborhoods. Every summer, Madam’s Organ transports groups of inner-city children to Duggan’s family property in Dewey Beach, Del., to let them have fun and be kids in a safer environment. The establishment also hosts an annual Christmas party for children and their parents.
Ray, the owner of 17-unit chain Common Man, not only continues to pursue philanthropy but also encourages his 800 employees to give back to their favorite causes. He reimburses staff members for community service and allows them to pick projects that mean something to them. Ray currently is building a cooking school in Honduras and was instrumental in preserving the homestead of 19th-century congressman Daniel Webster, turning it into the Webster Place Recovery Center serving people with drug and alcohol addictions.
In other news from the NRA, the association announced on Monday changes to its board of directors, as well as the introduction of the Congressional Leadership Award, given to three United States senators.
At the association’s Board of Directors meeting this month, Michael Gibbons, chief executive of Mainstreet Ventures Inc. in Ann Arbor, Mich., was elected chair of the board. Sally Smith, chief executive of Minneapolis-based Buffalo Wild Wings Inc., was elected vice chair, and Rosalyn “Roz” Mallet, president and chief executive of Plano, Texas-based PhaseNext Hospitality, was elected treasurer.
The Congressional Leadership Award, given in recognition of efforts to fight hunger at home and abroad, was given to Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.; Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark.; and Richard Lugar, R-Ind. The senators are the founding members of the Senate Hunger Caucus, which seeks bipartisan solutions to end hunger.
Contact Mark Brandau at [email protected].
