2010 Restaurant Neighbor Award winners
Published: 07/22/2010 by Jennifer Lang
Congratulations 2010 Restaurant Neighbor Award Winners for your outstanding philanthropic endeavors!
Pearl Bar & Dining - Bellevue (Small Restaurant Category)
Tides Tavern - Gig Harbor (Small Restsaurant Category)
Farrelli's Wood Fire Pizza - Tacoma (Medium Restaurant Category)
Pike Place Bar & Grill, Sandee Brock - Seattle (Humanitarian of the Year)
Click on the restaurant's name or read below for their exceptional service to our communities.
The winners will now compete against other state winners for the national award. One small restaurant, one mid-size restaurant, one large restaurant/national chain and one humanitarian of the year will receive $5,000 to help support the winning restaurant’s favorite charity or community project. National winners will be flown to Washington, D.C. to be honored at a recognition dinner in September.
Winners will receive a commemorative award from the Washington Restaurant Association as well as a plaque from the National Restaurant Association to display in the restaurant. Additionally, Tides Tavern’s efforts will be profiled on the NRA and WRA websites. A staff member from the NRA may be contacting you soon for more information.
The WRA was extremely pleased with this year’s response having nearly doubled the amount of applicants from last year, making the task of choosing the state winners quite a challenge.
Pearl Bar & Dining - Bellevue
Pearl’s Holiday Giving Project is the one Pearl feels most impacted their community—because it assisted families (notably women and children) through two vital, community outreach agencies on the Eastside: Overlake Service League and Eastside Domestic Violence Program.
Pearl reached out to the Eastside Domestic Violence Program closing the entire restaurant on Dec.1 for a fundraising event to collect toys for the many children in the organization’s homeless shelters and programs. Through their marketing outreach and inviting all their regular customers more than $1,000 in toys and another $3,000 in cash donations were raised that night alone. Although Pearl lost revenue closing the restaurant, the staff was riveted by the cause.
For the second leg of Pearl’s Holiday Giving Project, the restaurant kicked off a Giving Tree for Overlake Service League the day after Thanksgiving until Dec. 16, 2009. The tree is a holiday tree which represents the needs of one particular family (Adopt-a-Family). The family Pearl adopted was a family of seven, whose electricity had been disconnected after the family’s income had dramatically decreased. Each ornament on the tree represented a gift the family needed. Guests and Pearl staff members picked an ornament and returned it to Pearl with an unwrapped gift or other donation. We know many of this family’s wishes came true and made them more comfortable through the holiday that would otherwise not have a gift exchange, power for their home, or a holiday meal.
Pearl’s Holiday Giving Project has become an anchor for their community. As one of the only independent restaurants in downtown Bellevue, Pearl is one of the few businesses that can quickly respond to the needs of the community and take action for those who need it the most.
www.pearlbellevue.com
Tides Tavern - Gig Harbor
For the past eight years the Tides Tavern hosts an annual Relay for Life Spaghetti feed where all proceeds go to Relay for Life cancer research. The staff lends a helping hand by working the spaghetti feed, participating in the Relay for Life and contributing money to the cause. The community project really hit home when the Tide’s owner Peter Stanley was diagnosed with cancer. For the past eight years the Tides has raised approximately $40,000 - $50,000 to help in the fight against cancer and have set the bar for other restaurants and local Gig Harbor businesses.
www.tidestavern.com
Farrelli's Wood Fire Pizza - Tacoma
Farrelli's supports the men and women serving in their local armed services. Farrelli’s has seen many of their local soldiers go to battle on three and sometimes even four tours of duty in Iraq. While they are gone Farrelli’s works hard to let the soldiers know they are appreciated from afar, and when they return the restaurant works hard to give them a hero’s welcome including music festivals, participating in parades and weekly discounts for their service including a 50 percent discount. Farrelli’s honored the most recent wave of 15,000 local soldiers returning home from the Middle East with a free meal. The restaurant has even delivered their pizzas across the country so the soldiers have one last taste of home before being shipped overseas from their post on the east coast. Also, the restaurant worked closely with the local 555 Stryker brigade to establish a Farrelli's location in Iraq. The restaurant sent a package full of Farrelli’s memorabilia including signage and uniforms, which the soldiers used to turned their common break area into a remote Farrelli's location.
Farrelli’s has always recognized that being a good neighbor is the right way to do business. As a result they have been involved with many of the same organizations for at least 10 years some including: the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Susan G. Komen, Boys & Girls Club, Code 3 For A Cure, Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and the local schools in their communities.
www.farrellispizza.com
Pike Place Bar & Grill, Sandee Brock - Seattle
Owners of the Pike Place Bar and Grill, Sandee and Gordy Brock, founded the Skihawks Racing Team in the early seventies as a way to support the quality of life, well-being, and community integration of people with developmental and physical disabilities. The mission of the Skihawks Racing Team is to provide education, training, and competitive opportunities for developmentally challenged individuals in Alpine, Nordic, and Snowboarding disciplines. The Hawks collaborate with Skiforall to fulfill training needs and requirements, and Special Olympics to maximize competition options. The Grill has been a fully dedicated and essential business partner in the formulation of the Skihawks from providing full and part-time jobs to people with developmental disabilities, to providing cash and in-kind support of approx $4,000,000. The team blossomed from one athlete to more than 80 athletes over the last 30 years. Skihawks is an entirely volunteer driven operation consisting of 100 coaches and volunteers. Some restaurant staff are athletes themselves, others are volunteers for the Skihawks, while others are active advocates and supporters. The Grill is a regular meeting place for all aspects of Skihawks pursuits and serves as "home base" for Skihawks operations. With Gordy having passed away in 2001, Sandee continues to advocate for the creation of a new Special Olympics sport: snowshoeing.
2010 Finalists
Canyons Restaurant - Bothell
Kona Kai Coffee Company
The Keg Steakhouse & Bar - Lynnwood
Popeyes Chicken - Milton
Frasers Gourmet Hideaway
Hiroki/Encore Desserts - Seattle
The Georgian / The Fairmont Olympic Hotel
Washington Athletic Club
Cyrus O'Leary's
Thai Siam Restaurant
Bad Albert's Tap & Grill
Washington Restaurant Group
Farrelli's Wood Fire Pizza - Tacoma (Medium Restaurant Category)
Pike Place Bar & Grill, Sandee Brock - Seattle (Humanitarian of the Year)
Click on the restaurant's name or read below for their exceptional service to our communities.
The winners will now compete against other state winners for the national award. One small restaurant, one mid-size restaurant, one large restaurant/national chain and one humanitarian of the year will receive $5,000 to help support the winning restaurant’s favorite charity or community project. National winners will be flown to Washington, D.C. to be honored at a recognition dinner in September.
Winners will receive a commemorative award from the Washington Restaurant Association as well as a plaque from the National Restaurant Association to display in the restaurant. Additionally, Tides Tavern’s efforts will be profiled on the NRA and WRA websites. A staff member from the NRA may be contacting you soon for more information.
The WRA was extremely pleased with this year’s response having nearly doubled the amount of applicants from last year, making the task of choosing the state winners quite a challenge.
Pearl Bar & Dining - Bellevue
Pearl’s Holiday Giving Project is the one Pearl feels most impacted their community—because it assisted families (notably women and children) through two vital, community outreach agencies on the Eastside: Overlake Service League and Eastside Domestic Violence Program.
Pearl reached out to the Eastside Domestic Violence Program closing the entire restaurant on Dec.1 for a fundraising event to collect toys for the many children in the organization’s homeless shelters and programs. Through their marketing outreach and inviting all their regular customers more than $1,000 in toys and another $3,000 in cash donations were raised that night alone. Although Pearl lost revenue closing the restaurant, the staff was riveted by the cause.
For the second leg of Pearl’s Holiday Giving Project, the restaurant kicked off a Giving Tree for Overlake Service League the day after Thanksgiving until Dec. 16, 2009. The tree is a holiday tree which represents the needs of one particular family (Adopt-a-Family). The family Pearl adopted was a family of seven, whose electricity had been disconnected after the family’s income had dramatically decreased. Each ornament on the tree represented a gift the family needed. Guests and Pearl staff members picked an ornament and returned it to Pearl with an unwrapped gift or other donation. We know many of this family’s wishes came true and made them more comfortable through the holiday that would otherwise not have a gift exchange, power for their home, or a holiday meal.
Pearl’s Holiday Giving Project has become an anchor for their community. As one of the only independent restaurants in downtown Bellevue, Pearl is one of the few businesses that can quickly respond to the needs of the community and take action for those who need it the most.
www.pearlbellevue.com
Tides Tavern - Gig Harbor
For the past eight years the Tides Tavern hosts an annual Relay for Life Spaghetti feed where all proceeds go to Relay for Life cancer research. The staff lends a helping hand by working the spaghetti feed, participating in the Relay for Life and contributing money to the cause. The community project really hit home when the Tide’s owner Peter Stanley was diagnosed with cancer. For the past eight years the Tides has raised approximately $40,000 - $50,000 to help in the fight against cancer and have set the bar for other restaurants and local Gig Harbor businesses.
www.tidestavern.com
Farrelli's Wood Fire Pizza - Tacoma
Farrelli's supports the men and women serving in their local armed services. Farrelli’s has seen many of their local soldiers go to battle on three and sometimes even four tours of duty in Iraq. While they are gone Farrelli’s works hard to let the soldiers know they are appreciated from afar, and when they return the restaurant works hard to give them a hero’s welcome including music festivals, participating in parades and weekly discounts for their service including a 50 percent discount. Farrelli’s honored the most recent wave of 15,000 local soldiers returning home from the Middle East with a free meal. The restaurant has even delivered their pizzas across the country so the soldiers have one last taste of home before being shipped overseas from their post on the east coast. Also, the restaurant worked closely with the local 555 Stryker brigade to establish a Farrelli's location in Iraq. The restaurant sent a package full of Farrelli’s memorabilia including signage and uniforms, which the soldiers used to turned their common break area into a remote Farrelli's location.
Farrelli’s has always recognized that being a good neighbor is the right way to do business. As a result they have been involved with many of the same organizations for at least 10 years some including: the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Susan G. Komen, Boys & Girls Club, Code 3 For A Cure, Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and the local schools in their communities.
www.farrellispizza.com
Pike Place Bar & Grill, Sandee Brock - Seattle
Owners of the Pike Place Bar and Grill, Sandee and Gordy Brock, founded the Skihawks Racing Team in the early seventies as a way to support the quality of life, well-being, and community integration of people with developmental and physical disabilities. The mission of the Skihawks Racing Team is to provide education, training, and competitive opportunities for developmentally challenged individuals in Alpine, Nordic, and Snowboarding disciplines. The Hawks collaborate with Skiforall to fulfill training needs and requirements, and Special Olympics to maximize competition options. The Grill has been a fully dedicated and essential business partner in the formulation of the Skihawks from providing full and part-time jobs to people with developmental disabilities, to providing cash and in-kind support of approx $4,000,000. The team blossomed from one athlete to more than 80 athletes over the last 30 years. Skihawks is an entirely volunteer driven operation consisting of 100 coaches and volunteers. Some restaurant staff are athletes themselves, others are volunteers for the Skihawks, while others are active advocates and supporters. The Grill is a regular meeting place for all aspects of Skihawks pursuits and serves as "home base" for Skihawks operations. With Gordy having passed away in 2001, Sandee continues to advocate for the creation of a new Special Olympics sport: snowshoeing.
2010 Finalists
Canyons Restaurant - Bothell
Kona Kai Coffee Company
The Keg Steakhouse & Bar - Lynnwood
Popeyes Chicken - Milton
Frasers Gourmet Hideaway
Hiroki/Encore Desserts - Seattle
The Georgian / The Fairmont Olympic Hotel
Washington Athletic Club
Cyrus O'Leary's
Thai Siam Restaurant
Bad Albert's Tap & Grill
Washington Restaurant Group
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