2010 Restaurant Neighbor Award Winners
The National Restaurant Association and American Express salute restaurateurs who go above and beyond in giving back to their communities through the Restaurant Neighbor Award. Each year four national winners receive $5,000 each to continue their charitable works.
Scroll down to view the 2010 national winners and state finalists..
CORNERSTONE HUMANITARIAN
Danny Meyer
Union Square Hospitality Group
New York, NY
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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. "This award is a tremendous honor for me but even more so for the over 1,500 people who work in our organization and who understand that hospitality is most fully realized when it extends beyond the four walls of our restaurants," says the St. Louis native who opened his first New York restaurant in 1985.
NATIONAL LARGE BUSINESS WINNER
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers
Greenwood Village, CO
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Being a good neighbor goes hand-in-hand with the "unbridled" culture at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers. The company encourages team members to put guests first and empowers them to support their colleagues and their community.
NATIONAL MID-SIZE BUSINESS WINNER
Tacoma, WA
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Farrelli's Wood Fire Pizza has a long arm when it comes to reaching out to the communities that support its restaurants. The pizza chain sent some of its paraphernalia, including signs and uniforms, to soldiers in Iraq who transformed their break area into a remote Farrelli's.
NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS WINNER
Haverstraw, NY
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Chef David Martinez, Paulo Feteira and the staff of UNION Restaurant and Bar Latino knew they had to do something when the economy got tough. UNION created the "we care" theme in February 2009 and closed the restaurant to feed more than 3,000 people in three days. The children who came with their parents gazed in awe at the restaurant's high ceilings, spinning fans, white tablecloths and pretty plates.
