Restaurant lovers might wince at the thought of splurging another paycheck on a fine night of dining. But several local eateries have partnered up to offer a new meaning to eating: dining out for a good cause.
Four University City businesses -- Abbraccio Restaurant, Dahlak Eritrean & Ethiopian Restaurant, Vientiane Cafe and White Dog Cafe -- are contributing monetary donations to Hurricane Katrina relief organizations. Customers have been asked to offer a helping hand when dining at the restaurants.
Abbraccio, Dahlak and Vientiane all donated 100 percent of their food revenue from evening sales on Monday to the American Red Cross.
"We're located just a few feet from each other," said Roger Harman, one of the three owners of Abbraccio. "It was a joint decision," he added regarding the selection of the Red Cross.
The restaurant raised just over $2,000.
Dahlak's owner, Solomon Amare -- an immigrant from Ethiopia -- came up with the idea and approached the other two eateries for input and consideration.
"He said when he writes down the check, it's not going to be enough," Bebeket Solomon, Dahlak's manager, said of his boss. "So he asked a couple of restaurants to help out."
The White Dog Cafe has been running a matching-dollar campaign since Sept. 2.
"Whatever [customers are] willing to donate, we'll match," White Dog spokesman Tom Kurland said. The restaurant on Sansom Street chose to donate to the Tides Foundation's Rapid Response Fund.
The San Francisco-based organization seeks to aid grass-roots and advocacy groups working for short-term as well as long-term economic and structural change.
Kurland said that its fundraising efforts have reached several hundred dollars, not including the matching donation.
He said that unlike the Red Cross, which retains some portion of donors' contributions for operating costs, the Tides Foundation utilizes the entirety of donor funds for long-term recovery efforts.
On the other hand, Harman felt that the American Red Cross had "the best sense" when it came to helping Katrina victims.
But not all businesses have been as fast to react to the disaster left by the hurricane.
Izzy and Zoe's manager Audrea Hedman said that a group of Penn students came in yesterday and asked if they could donate loose change for a good cause. But the restaurant, located at 224 S. 40th St., did not have any relief project set up at the time.
Hedman would not say whether the restaurant is considering such measures but added that she has not had a chance to speak with the owner about the charity incident.
Besides local retailers, national companies such as Wal-Mart have pooled in financial resources to assist the nationwide relief movement.
The retailer has donated $17 million in cash toward emergency relief efforts, according to a recent statement.
"There's an ongoing trend toward companies trying to be really good corporate citizens and to be really respectful toward the communities in which they exist," Marketing professor Americus Reed said. "There is this currency out there of good will."
For some customers, restaurants' decisions to participate in charitable efforts has some impact on where they elect to dine out.
College senior Anne Henochowicz gave $20 to the Red Cross. However, she was not aware of any restaurant donors in the area.
"If it adds just an extra dollar to your tab, it's more manageable than a large sum," she said regarding eating out and contributing at the same time.
