Dining with Purpose
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, September 21st, 2010
(Image: Share Our Strength)
As any dedicated Relish reader should by now know, I don’t make a habit of reviewing corporate-run restos nor do I advocate giving your hard-earned money to them (eat local, folks!).
But we are in the thick of Share Our Strength’s annual “Great American Dine Out” week (9/19-9/25). And a slew of big hearted, Northern Virginia restaurants (over 75 locations) have signed on to help put food in the mouths of America’s malnourished youth (17 million kids and counting).
The nationwide dining dragnet welcomes participants from across the hospitality spectrum, be they quick service (Boston Market, California Tortilla, Captain D’s), corporate casual (Joe’s Crab Shack, P.F. Chang’s, Ted’s Montana Grill), swanky meat palaces (Daily Grill, The Palm, Wildfire) or local independents (Bombay Curry Company, the entire Great American Restaurants family).
Participating restaurants can contribute via assorted means (straight donations, percentage of sales). Here are some of the charity promotions happening in our area:
* Best Buns Bakery: contributing 5 percent of their total bread sales (no cap);
* Corner Bakery: $1 donation scores you a whoopie pie; $5 donation nets you $20 worth of CB coupons;
* Legal Sea Foods: every cent of Boston Cream Pie sales gets shipped to SOS;
* P. F. Chang’s: $0.50 from every lettuce wrap (capped at $50,000) goes to SOS.
Meanwhile, even after all the other restaurants retire the table tents and get back to business as usual, the GARiverse will continue funneling money to various charities–courtesy of their year-round, dessert sales-based benefaction.
For those who don’t know, Best Buns regularly redirects 5 percent of its daily bread sales to SOS.
All the other GAR properties reserve $0.25 from every dessert sold for their own corresponding charity, a roster of child-rearing and hunger-abolishing outfits which includes:
* Artie’s: Meals on Wheels
* Coastal Flats (Fairfax): Big Brothers/Big Sisters Northern Virginia Council
* Coastal Flats (Tysons): Medical Care for Children Partnership
* Jackon’s: L’Academie de Cuisine
* Ozzie’s Corner Italian (opening 9/24): Feeding America
* Silverado/Sweetwater Tavern (Centreville): Youth for Tomorrow
* Sweetwater Tavern (Merrifield): Latino Student Fund
* Sweetwater Tavern (Sterling): So Others Might Eat
“They’re actually huge supporters of ours,” an SOS aide said of GAR’s ongoing outreach. “They’ve been amazing.”
–Warren
Tags: charity, childhood hunger, Great American Dine Out, Great American Restaurants, Gut Check, hospitality industry, Northern Virginia Magazine, restaurants, Share Our Strength, Warren Rojas