NRA seeks applicants for annual restaurant neighbor award

Nation's Restaurant News, May 19, 2008

WASHINGTON -- The National Restaurant Association will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Restaurant Neighbor Award this year and is calling for applications from the nation's 945,000 restaurants. Applications can be downloaded from the association's website, www.restaurant.org/ community. The deadline to apply is June 20. Four national winners will receive $5,000 each for their commitments to philanthropy and will be flown to Washington, D.C., for an awards ceremony in September.

"The Restaurant Neighbor Award has been a tremendous success for the past decade and the spirit of philanthropy is alive and well in our industry," said NRA president and chief executive Dawn Sweeney. "We hope that restaurants across the U.S. will take the opportunity to gain national recognition."

The NRA and founding partner American Express developed the award to raise awareness about the industry's contributions to communities across the country.

"The impact restaurateurs have in their communities ... is immeasurable," said Curtis Wilson, vice president and general manager of American Express' Restaurant Industry Group. "We are honored to work side by side with them and hope their commitment to community involvement inspires others to do the same."