T.G.I. Friday’s and Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank gained some generous friends through a Facebook campaign to raise money for the food bank.
The Waterfront T.G.I. Friday’s general manager Phil Sero presented GPCFB CEO Joyce Rothermel with a $268 check Tuesday.
The funds were raised in the “Can for a Fan” campaign.
That amount can be added to equal more than $6,000 the restaurant’s owner Bistro Group has donated to GPCFB in 2010.
“Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank serves 11 counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania,” Rothermel said. “We rely a lot on community support. Nothing means more to us than support from our neighbors. I don’t think it’s a secret that the Mon Valley is struggling.”
She said it’s going to take more businesses like T.G.I. Friday’s to get involved and help deal with the issues in the Mon Valley.
The campaign, which ran in November and December, donated a can of food for each new Facebook fan T.G.I. Friday’s received. Bistro Group gave the food bank cash for those cans because money would help more customers.
“It’s wonderful when technology gets used to reach out to people with a message,” Rothermel said. “Not only did T.G.I. Friday’s get more fans, but it linked fans to the food bank.”
The Waterfront T.G.I. Friday’s participated in Bartender Championships during 2010 with other surrounding Pittsburgh T.G.I. Friday’s owned by Bistro Group to raise more than $5,000 for the food bank.
“We do flair competitions every year,” Sero said. “It’s where the bartenders flip bottles similar to the movie ‘Cocktail’ and entertain the crowd. It promotes fun with the staff and guests.”
Bistro Group owns eight T.G.I. Friday’s locations in the Pittsburgh area and a total of 31 restaurants — with the majority being T.G.I. Friday’s — in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. Other locations donated funds from their own campaign to their local food bank.
The Pittsburgh locations raised $11,170 for charity in 2010.
By Stacy Lee, MCKEESPORT DAILY NEWS
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
