The National Restaurant Association and founding partner American Express developed the Restaurant Neighbor Award to raise awareness about the restaurant industry’s contributions in local communities across the country and to inspire other restaurant operators and owners to make even greater contributions in their communities.
Each participating state restaurant association selects winners in their respective states that compete with winners from other states for the national award.
For more information on the award program and a video introducing the 2010 winners, visit the National Restaurant Association’s website,http://www.restaurant.org/sustainability/rna.
District of Columbia Finalists
Clyde's Restaurant Group
Washington
Haydee Restaurant
Washington
Poste Moderne Brasserie
Washington
Maryland Finalists
BGR The Burger Joint
Bethesda
Big Bad Wolf Barbeque
Baltimore
Glory Days Grill
Gaithersburg
Virginia Finalists
Both, Inc./Golden Corral
Virginia Beach
Great American Restaurants
Falls Church
J.R's Goodtimes, Inc.
McLean
The Halligan Bar and Grill
Richmond
Winners :
Large Business: Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colo.
Being a good neighbor goes hand-in-hand with the enthusiastic company culture at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers. “Unbridled Acts” is a long-held philosophy of performing random acts of kindness that extends to all team members in the casual dining chain’s more than 430 restaurants. Projects have included the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), Special Olympics, and the National Fire Safety Council. Red Robin also has an annual Kids’ Cook-Off, where children submit ideas for burger recipes, one of which is added to the restaurant’s menu with a portion of the proceeds going to support NCMEC. The company has also been active in school projects, including helping middle schools reduce bullying through its U-ACT Program. Since 2005, Red Robin has donated more than $2 million to youth-related organizations that support health, safety and education
Mid-Size Business: Farrelli’s Wood Fire Pizza in Tacoma, Wash.
Located in Tacoma, Wash., the Farrelli’s Wood Fire Pizza chain celebrates military personnel with weekly discounts and parties before they deploy and return from overseas. It also provided gear and décor to troops overseas so they could turn their break room into a satellite Farrelli’s. Farrelli’s has raised more than $150,000 for organizations including the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Susan G. Komen Foundation, and the Boys and Girls Club. It also responds to customer ideas when it comes to projects to support. A young man with diabetes inspired a diet-customized pizza being added to the menu, and the restaurant’s participation in a Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation fundraiser.
Small Business: UNION Restaurant and Bar Latino in Haverstraw, N.Y.
The Haverstraw, N.Y., restaurant, which serves Latin-fusion cuisine, opened in 2007. Its owners, Paulo Feteira and Chef David Martinez, wanted to help families who were struggling to make ends meet because of the recession. Employees jumped behind the idea and volunteered their time for three days, as the restaurant fed more than 3,000 people at the first “1, 2, 3 – It’s Free!” event in February 2009. The event is now an annual affair and one of several projects for the Union’s “We Care” Foundation. The restaurant also supports community organizations and breast cancer research projects, and created a rooftop garden to teach schoolchildren the benefits of eating locally grown produce.
Cornerstone Humanitarian: Danny Meyer, Union Square Hospitality Group in New York City
For Danny Meyer, the restaurant business, hospitality and community are intertwined. Caring about staff members and the communities around his restaurants has helped grow Union Square Hospitality Group into a successful enterprise with 25 entities. Over the past two decades, Meyer and his restaurants have focused on hunger relief (including Share Our Strength events), local education, parks and revitalization. The company’s all-employee Community Council puts into action service projects in New York and beyond. Employees have prepared weekly meals for patients and families at a local hospice, helped rebuild a historic restaurant in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and restored a park in Washington, D.C.
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