Washington winners have a chance to win the National Restaurant Association’s prestigious 2011 Restaurant Neighbor Award
Contact: Camille St. Onge, 360.480.2770
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 16, 2011
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Three restaurants have been selected as state winners of the 2011 Restaurant Neighbor Award and are now in the running for the national award that rewards community service, the Washington Restaurant Association announced today. The Restaurant Neighbor Award was created by the National Restaurant Association to recognize restaurants that exemplify the industry’s philanthropic spirit. The winners are:
- Kona Kai Coffee Company, Kent, Wash.
- The Harmon Brewing Company/The Hub Restaurant, Tacoma, Wash.
- Lynn Fischer/The Keg Steakhouse & Bar, Lynnwood, Wash.
“Often times it is difficult to gauge the impact that restaurant contributions have on our communities, because there are so many individual efforts occurring industry-wide,” said Anthony Anton, Washington Restaurant Association president and CEO. “I’m not sure what our communities would do without their contributions, and I’m proud to recognize their good works.”
Kona Kai Coffee Company assists in running a program that provides homeless and disadvantaged individuals job training and employment in the espresso, hospitality and food service industry. They donate their café space, their staff volunteers to train and coach program participants as well as donate their time to market the program for fundraising events. Kona Kai estimates that 60 percent of the people they intern find job placement.
The Harmon Brewing Company/The Hub Restaurant supports child abuse prevention. They have formed a bicycle club that annually participates in raising funds for their cause and have successfully raised $80,000 per year for two years.
Lynn Fischer, Cornerstone Humanitarian/The Keg Steakhouse & Bar has inspired countless people within her own company and her community. Fischer supports reading literacy through he volunteer work with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Snohomish County and has developed a program for BBBS to provide improved reading materials within the public schools.
The Restaurant Neighbor Award honors charitable contributions in four categories (small business, mid-size business, large business/national chain and Cornerstone Humanitarian). Each participating state restaurant association selects local winners that will be in the running for the national award.
The national winners of the 2011 Restaurant Neighbor Award will each receive a $5,000 contribution to continue their community programs and be presented the awards in April in Washington, D.C. Both national and state winners will be recognized on the National Restaurant Association website.
The National Restaurant Association, and Restaurant Neighbor Award founding partner American Express, developed the award to raise awareness about the restaurant industry’s contributions in local communities across the country and to inspire other restaurant owners and operators to showcase their enormous contributions in their communities.
For more information and to apply, visit the National Restaurant Association’s website at www.restaurant.org/sustainability.
Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises 945,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a work force of nearly 13 million employees. Together with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the Association works to lead America’s restaurant industry into a new era of prosperity, prominence, and participation, enhancing the quality of life for all we serve. For more information, visit www.restaurant.org.
The Washington Restaurant Association, in its 82nd year, is the leading business association for the restaurant industry — the largest private employer in the state with an average workforce of 191,000. In Washington, the more than 13,000 restaurants annually generate $8.8 billion to the state economy. For more information visit www.WRAhome.com.
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