Restaurants Win Georgia Restaurant Neighbor Awards Bestowed by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

Marlow’s Tavern and Ray’s on the River have been awarded Georgia Restaurant Neighbor Awards in recognition of the two restaurants’ extensive community service efforts: Marlow’s Tavern’s ongoing work to benefit Special Olympics Georgia (SOGA) and Ray’s on the River’s long-standing partnership with the Fragile Kids Foundation. The award, bestowed by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF), goes to restaurants that go above and beyond in community service.

For more than 16 years, Marlow’s Tavern and Sterling Spoon Culinary Management have hosted an annual golf tournament benefiting SOGA, an organization that provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in 25 Olympic-style sports for more than 26,700 children and adults with intellectual disabilities. In addition, Marlow’s Tavern raises money at the opening of each new location. During each friends-and-family “sneak preview” service, the restaurant requests a donation to SOGA in lieu of charging for the meal. Since the beginning of this partnership, the company has donated $557,014.

The Fragile Kids Foundation is a nonprofit organization that assists families of medically fragile children, providing wheelchair lifts for homes and vans, ramps, bathing equipment, therapy bikes and other assistive devices and aids. Ray’s on the River hosts two events for the foundation each year: a golf tournament fundraiser and a breakfast with Santa, in which families who benefit from the services of the foundation enjoy a brunch and visit with Santa Claus. Ray’s on the River fully staffs this event and donates as many as 125 meals.

Marlow’s Tavern and Ray’s on the River will now compete with other state winners across the country for the NRAEF’s national award. Four national winners will receive a $5,000 award to help support their favorite charities or community projects. Those national winners will be flown to Washington, District of Columbia, to attend an awards dinner in April 2015.

The 2015 Georgia State winners also include:

• Here To Serve Restaurants – An Atlanta based company, Here to Serve Restaurants does their part in giving back to the city and its foundations by running promotions in all 13 of their restaurants to donate a percentage of proceeds to multiple charities. Here To Serve Restaurants is involved with various organizations including: The Atlanta Community Food Bank, Atlanta Humane Society, Camp Twin Lakes, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Free To Breathe, GivingPoint, It’s The Journey, Inc., Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Lupus Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Project Open Hand, Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research and the Simon Youth Foundation.
• Norsan Group Restaurants – The philosophy of Norsan Group Restaurants is to give back and help the communities that they are part of, which is evident through the involvement of their restaurants Frontera Mex-Mex Grill, Luciano’s Ristorante Italiano and Pampas Steakhouse. Pampas Steakhouse and Luciano’s Ristorante Italiano have aided and sponsored various events to help numerous organizations such as the Atlanta Community Food Bank, the Georgia Aquarium and other local organizations. Meanwhile, Frontera Mex-Mex Grill aids organizations that range from schools, religious associations, girls/boy scouts groups and more.
• Tin Lizzy’s Cantina – Tin Lizzy’s Cantina is committed to giving back to each of the neighborhoods they serve by working with local nonprofits in their community. Their top projects include: Donating $1 from each taco sold on National Taco Day to Bert’s Big Adventure as well as donating to It’s The Journey, Inc. Additional partners of Tin Lizzy’s Cantina include: Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Habitat for Humanity, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Sunshine on a Ranney Day and more.
• Unsukay Community of Businesses – Unsukay Community of Businesses is involved with numerous nonprofits and causes throughout Atlanta. In 2014 alone, Unsukay has participated in over 130 various nonprofit or charity events via direct involvement or in-kind donations of food and beverage. Most of Unsukay’s focus on giving back to the community is through The Giving Kitchen, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit cofounded by Ryan Turner, Chris Hall and Todd Mussman, whose mission is to provide crisis grants to members of Atlanta’s hospitality community facing unanticipated hardship.
• Zaxby’s – While each of the 650 Zaxby’s franchise locations contributes to their local community a little differently – volunteering, hosting fundraiser nights, or sponsoring local teams – youth have always been at the center. In 2011, Zaxby’s partnered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical illnesses. Additionally, Zaxby’s has partnered with Always Play 4 Each Other (APIVEO) as well as Downtown Academy in Athens, Ga.