Taste of Nation raises $850,000 in 48-city effort

Nation's Restaurant News, May 8, 1989 by Milford Prewitt

Taste of Nation raises $850,000 in 48-city effort

Some 700 restaurants in 48 cities across the country, united to fight hunger, raised more than $850,000 in the second annual Taste of the Nation event, sponsored by Washington, D.C.-based Share Our Strength.

Staged as a coast-to-coast, simultaneous food-sampling and wine-tasting feast, Taste of the Nation, organizers said, took in revenues from ticket sales that might exceed their goal of $1 million.

Share Our Strength, the network of restaurants that created the project, initially projected that 1,000 restaurants representing 50 to 60 cities would be involved in the one-night event. Last year SOS raised $250,000 in 26 cities.

All of the money from the event will be used to finance domestic and international food banks and other charitable organizations involved in the fight against hunger.

Everything from hotel ballrooms to shopping malls to concert halls was rented by local sponsors and supporters so that the restaurants could concentrate on ticket sales and cooking.

"I believe we did more than $850,000, at least $1 million, maybe more", said an ebullient Bill Shore, founder and executive director of SOS, attend the event in New York. "I would be surprised if we didn't have 75 cities participating next year."

"I think what interests people about Taste of the Nation is that this is truly one charity in which 100 percent of the funds goes to the agencies that need the help," he said, noting that SOS administrative costs are financed through corporate donations.

While the national headquarters was finalizing the amount of money raised, many local organizers reported that they were pleased with the turnout and that their goals had been met or exceeded.

The effort won key support from Bon Appetit magazine, which rented the hall for the New York event, and from Master Card International, which contributed 25 cents to SOS every time the card was used in a participating restaurant during the two weeks preceding the event.

In New York City, which had the most ambitious goal of $90,000, Sandy Tang, local organizer and co-owner of Tommy Tang's, said more than $60,000 was raised on the sale of 800 $75 tickets. But she was not disappointed.

"We still have more money coming in," she noted.

In Atlanta promoters sold more than $50,000 worth of banquet tickets, making it the second highest-grossing of all cities.

"We were nervous only for a minute," said Pano Karatassos, who is president of Buckhead Life Restaurant Group and the person who organized the local effort. "In fact," he added, flexing his muscles on behalf of peers who gave up one of their busiest weeknights for the homeless and hungry, "we could have done more."

Dallas and Houston raised more than $20,000 each, but Dallas was one of the few sites to participate with a sit-down dinner.

Nine chefs from eight restaurants prepared the seated dinner, which was held at the Adolphus Hotel and attended by 150 people, who paid $150 apiece.

"It went like clockwork," said Becky Murphy, one of the organizers from Routh Street Investments, "but you'd expect that, with all that talent in one kitchen."

The Chicago Taste of the Nation benefit raised about $17,000 at $50 per ticket for the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the Eastern Illinois Food Bank, and international relief agencies.

"I think it's wonderful," said Jan Hattemer, director of the Food Depository's Perishable Foods Program, as she surveyed the crowd. Her agency distributes food to most of the city's food pantries.

In San Francisco 16 restaurateurs and wineries participated, assisted by a small army of volunteers, and raised $30,000, an amount three times more than last year's and one that exceeded the group's goal.

Six hundred people paid $50 a piece to attend the event at the Nikko Hotel.

In Los Angeles organizers expected from 250 to 300 guests to pay $75 each for tickets to the local "Taste" party, held at Beverly Hills' swank Rodeo Collection mall. But nearly that many tickets were presold, and as many as 200 more paying guests might have turned out the night of the event, said representative Adele Coyle. Her preliminary estimate would place net receipts there at more than $30,000.