National Restaurant Association Recognizes King Eider’s Pub and Restaurant for Commitment to Community Service

Washington, DC  (RestaurantNews.com)  The National Restaurant Association will today recognize King Eider’s Pub and Restaurant as one of this year’s Restaurant Neighbor Award winners during a gala dinner at its 2012 Public Affairs Conference in Washington, D.C. The award celebrates outstanding service efforts that restaurateurs perform in their respective communities.

King Eider’s Pub and Restaurant was recognized as the Small-Size Business Category winner for helping to provide heat to families that cannot afford the high cost of fuel.

“We are proud to present the Restaurant Neighbor Award to some of the most inspiring examples of community service in our industry,” said Dawn Sweeney, National Restaurant Association President and CEO. “We are committed to positively enhancing the quality of life for all we serve, and philanthropic activities are an important part of this mission. The remarkable efforts of King Eider’s Pub and Restaurant shows that restaurants often inspire communities to band together to help their neighbors in need.”

In 2005, King Eider’s Pub and Restaurant owner Todd Maurer and two business associates created the Community Energy Fund of Lincoln County, to help pay the energy costs for residents in need of financial assistance. To launch the organization, King Eider’s along with other local restaurants founded “Dine in Damariscotta,” a group that offers a share of its proceeds to the fund.

The Community Energy Fund of Lincoln County, which also provides gas cards to citizens who are in need of transportation, has enlisted the entire community to get involved and help, including a local fuel provider, accountants, lawyers and printers. Viewing themselves as a vital link to the community, the staff of King Eider’s often gets involved by donating their time and money to the fundraising events. To date, the Community Energy Fund has raised nearly $400,000 and has kept about 1,200 families warm.

The National Restaurant Association will present King Eider’s Pub and Restaurant with the award, along with a $5,000 charitable contribution, at a gala dinner during its 2012 Public Affairs Conference in Washington, D.C. American Express is the founding partner of the Restaurant Neighbor Award. It was developed in 1999 in an effort to raise awareness of the industry’s contributions to local communities throughout the country and to inspire more owners and operators to get involved and contribute to their respective communities.

“American Express is proud to partner with the National Restaurant Association to honor the contributions restaurateurs across the country make to their communities,” said Curtis L. Wilson, Vice President and General Manager, Restaurant, Lodging & Insurance Industries, American Express. “Through charitable gifts of food, time, and resources, restaurants have a tangible and lasting impact on their communities; we hope these actions inspire others to do the same.”

In addition to King Eider’s Pub and Restaurant, the National Restaurant Association recognized three others with the 2012 Restaurant Neighbor Award. They are: ARAMARK in Philadelphia, in the large-size business category, and Taste Buds Management in New Orleans, in the mid-size business category. Tammy and Noel Cunningham, owners of Denver’s Strings Restaurant, are this year’s Cornerstone Humanitarians.

For more information on the Restaurant Neighbor Award program, as well as the national winners and finalists, visit the National Restaurant Association’s website, www.restaurant.org/awards.

Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises 970,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of nearly 13 million employees. We represent the industry in Washington, D.C., and advocate on its behalf. We operate the industry’s largest trade show (NRA Show May 5-8, 2012, in Chicago); leading food safety training and certification program (ServSafe); unique career-building high school program (the NRAEF’s ProStart, including the National ProStart Invitational April 27-29, 2012, in Baltimore, Md.); as well as the Kids LiveWell program promoting healthful kids’ menu options. For more information, visit www.restaurant.org and find us on Twitter @WeRRestaurants, Facebook and YouTube.