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SOUTHERN PROPER HOSPITALITY BELIEVES CHARITABLE GIVING IS ALWAYS IN SEASON
Restaurant Group Dishes up Donations to Support Local Organizations
ATLANTA (Nov. 17, 2017) - When you’re sourcing the freshest food possible, ingredients like Copper River salmon, soft shell crabs, asparagus and sweet potatoes come and go. One thing that’s always in season at Southern Proper Hospitality (SPH), however, is giving back to the community.
Co-owners John Piemonte and Chris Hadermann, who operate The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill, The Blind Pig Parlour Bar, Gypsy Kitchen, Tin Lizzy’s Cantina, Smokebelly BBQ, The Southern Gentleman, Beni’s Cubano and Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails, are big proponents of supporting nonprofit organizations such as the American Red Cross, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, New Story Charity, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and No Kid Hungry Campaign, as well as neighborhood schools near their restaurants. In the past year, thanks to the collective efforts of staff and customers, SPH has donated more than $32,000 to these causes and more.
“Food is sustenance, but nourishing a community requires more than just the meals we serve,” Piemonte says. “At Southern Proper Hospitality, we feel it’s an unwritten part of our job descriptions to play an active role in serving the needs of the community and improving lives.”
Giving happens both near and far. One example of local community outreach at Tin Lizzy’s Cantina is the Giving Goza, one of the FlexMex eatery’s special margaritas that includes Goza silver and Agavero orange liqueur. A percentage of sales from this drink is donated to a different charity each month. In just seven months, SPH has been able to donate more than $7500 to local charities such as The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, New Story Charity, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Children of Restaurant Employees (CORE) and The Breast Cancer Charities of America.
To help guests play a more proactive role in their community involvement, SPH has partnered with Planet Fundraiser, an app that allows diners to choose from a menu of area nonprofit organizations and schools, snap a picture of their receipt and have a portion of their bill sent directly to that organization. In addition, Hadermann was honored at Atlanta’s Taste of the Nation for raising more than $5,000 as a member of the inaugural No Kid Hungry Atlanta Society. In 2016, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) named him Man of the Year for raising more than $190,000 to help eradicate those dreaded diseases.
Thanks to a successful SPH golf tournament, one impoverished family in a developing country will have a new home through New Story Charity. “It’s exciting to be able to share tangible results with those who support our efforts,” Hadermann says. “The $6,000 we raised at our September tournament is exactly what it costs to fund a new home.”
Beyond partnering with local and national organizations, SPH believes it’s critical to team with its vendors to maximize the value of their charitable endeavors. Tito’s Handmade Vodka representatives, for example, were only too happy to match the $1 per Tito’s-based cocktail specials SPH pledged to donate on behalf of LLS. Their efforts netted $4,000.
While the duo realizes there’s no stopping the devastating storms that have struck across the country, they want diners to know there’s no stopping their efforts to provide disaster relief. After Hurricanes Harvey and Irma struck, Tin Lizzy’s diners bid adios to the storms with Grand Patrón margaritas. Moscow Mules became the workhorse for charitable giving at all other SPH restaurants, and for each drink sold, $1 was donated to The American Red Cross for hurricane relief.
“Our ultimate vision is to create a charitable arm of Southern Proper Hospitality and host annual events for those organizations that are near and dear to us,” Hadermann adds. “We encourage our employees to get involved, too. There’s no doubt in my mind that the more we work on volunteer projects together, the more cohesive we become as a team and a community.”
About Southern Proper Hospitality
Southern Proper Hospitality owns and operates The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill, Smokebelly BBQ, The Blind Pig Parlour Bar, Gypsy Kitchen, The Southern Gentleman, Beni’s Cubano, Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails and Tin Lizzy’s Cantina.
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