Applebee’s Franchisee Helps Raise $1.75 Million for Charities
BUFFALO, N.Y., April 14 - Now here’s a promise—after nearly 2,000 pancake breakfasts, you won’t get a stomachache, but you might get new uniforms or sports equipment. But that’s only at Applebee’s restaurants across upstate NY and Connecticut. T.L. Cannon Companies, the franchisee for 61 Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar restaurants in two states, helped local nonprofit groups fundraise more than $1.75 million for their respective organizations in 2009.
Last year, school groups and sports teams flipped flapjacks, other nonprofits dined in at Applebee’s with a percent of the bill benefitting their organizations, and special fundraising nights were held for Make-A-Wish Foundation and Special Olympics chapters. In total, T.L. Cannon’s Applebee’s restaurants hosted more than 2,500 fundraisers for groups, schools and nonprofit organizations. Various events were booked on the company’s community fundraising site http://www.tlcneighborhood.com.
“In addition to delivering a great dining experience, our Applebee’s restaurants are dedicated to being a good neighbor and that means giving back to the communities where our restaurants operate,” said Matt Fairbairn, CEO, T.L. Cannon Companies. “We were proud to help literally thousands of organizations and even more neighbors last year through the commitment of our staff, support of our guests, and of course, the hard work by the organizations that held fundraisers in our restaurants.”
For the past five years, T.L. Cannon Companies was awarded the National Restaurant Association Good Neighbor Award for its commitment to providing community-based support and fundraising programs. The company also was recognized nationally within Applebee’s system twice as “Applebee’s Neighbor of the Year” in both 2006 and 2009, based on its grassroots support of the neighborhoods in which its restaurants operate.
Applebee’s supported groups, causes, schools and nonprofits in the following ways in 2009:
— Flapjack Fundraisers: Offered exclusively to schools, youth sports or
youth service organizations, more than 1,900 pancake breakfast
fundraisers were held at Applebee’s. On Saturday and Sunday mornings,
Applebee’s restaurant locations welcomed groups for pancakes and
bacon. Applebee’s provided the venue, food and beverages for the
breakfasts, while the organizations sold tickets and volunteered at
the events. Local schools and youth organizations holding Flapjack
Fundraisers in 2009 raised more than $1.5 million for their causes.
— Law and Orders for Special Olympics: A fundraiser that has been
gaining popularity, Applebee’s restaurants hosted events where local
law enforcement officers traded in their badges to serve customers.
Officers greeted and held doors for guests, served food and beverages
and cleared tables. Applebee’s patrons tipped the officers and the
tips benefitted Special Olympics across New York State. More than
$47,000 was raised from Law & Orders fundraising events in 2009.
— Make-A-Wish Fundraisers: Various fundraisers at Applebee’s benefitted
Make-A-Wish Foundation chapters in New York State and Connecticut.
From hosting pancake breakfasts with Santa Claus to the sale of
Make-A-Wish car air-fresheners to in-kind donations and other events,
more than $120,000 was raised for Make-A-Wish Foundation in 2009.
— Dining to Donate: Nearly 400 nonprofit organizations held Dining to
Donate fundraising events at Applebee’s restaurants. Organizations
booked their events at http://www.tlcneighborhood.com and distributed
Applebee’s vouchers to their supporters prior to the event. Ten
percent of guest checks that accompanied event vouchers were donated
back to the charitable nonprofit organizations. Churches, college
clubs and other nonprofits took part in Dining to Donate events,
raising more than $31,000 in 2009.
Applebee’s also supports education for younger children through the following programs:
— School Restaurant Tours: Open to elementary grades K-5, schools can
bring students in for a tour of Applebee’s, learn about job duties,
teamwork and the importance of a clean work environment. Students,
chaperones and teachers can enjoy a price-fixed lunch, and all
students receive a “Junior Applebuddy” certificate with a coupon for a
free kids meal for their next visit.
— A is for Applebee’s: An achievement award program, teachers can honor
their students’ achievements, whether for academics, attitude or
effort. Teachers can order reward cards for a free kids meal at
Applebee’s.
— Bookworm Reading Club: Open to students 12 and younger, children can
record the books they read on a “Bookworm Club” card. Once a student
reads 10 books, they receive a free kids meal with the purchase of an
adult meal. Children also receive a detachable bookmark. Requests must
be made by local schools or libraries.
— Cool Credit: An achievement program for students 13-18, Cool Credit
allows participating schools to reward deserving students with a free
appetizer at Applebee’s. Schools can award cards to students based on
their own criteria—from leadership and academics to sportsmanship
and attendance.
To learn more about how Applebee’s restaurants in New York and Connecticut support and give back to local communities, visit http://www.tlcneighborhood.com. To view and subscribe to more news from Applebee’s/T.L. Cannon, visit http://www.pitchfeed.com/tlcannonapplebees/9358.
About T.L. Cannon Companies
T.L. Cannon Companies is the franchisee for Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar in Upstate NY and CT. It currently owns and operates 61 restaurant locations.
Source: T.L. Cannon Companies
CONTACT: Allison Conte, Eric Mower and Associates, +1-716-880-1487,
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Web Site: http://www.tlcneighborhood.com/
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