raffy
Oct 11, 01, 8:20 pm
Having a nice dinner at a restaurant tonight might do more than just take your mind off the one-month anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the East Coast. It could also be a small way of helping hundreds of victims of the tragedy.
Thousands of restaurants across the country have agreed to donate at least 10 percent of their sales today to the Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund, which was formed to help the families of food service employees who were killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center towers.
Despite a sluggish dining season that was even further crippled in the aftermath of the attacks, more than 100 restaurants in the Bay Area signed up for the one-day fund-raiser, including Bacar, Chez Panisse, Farallon, Delfina and Gary Danko's.
Rubicon has been overbooking the restaurant for both lunch and dinner due to the overwhelming demand from its patrons for today's seatings.
"The reservation line has been insane and we have just been taking them and telling them to come in," said Rubicon manager Daisy Nunez. "We need as much volume as possible to make as much of a contribution as we can."
Nunez said that while lunch traffic has been steady, dinner traffic has fallen off roughly 40 percent lately and the staff was looking forward to getting back to some sense of normalcy with tonight's fund-raiser.
"It's been very very slow so they are really looking forward to it," Nunez said. "We're anticipating a big crowd."
Gene Crew, a partner at the law firm of Townsend and Townsend and Crew, said he had planned a social dinner with colleagues for tonight at Rubicon and was pleased to learn that a portion of the meal would help relief efforts.
"It validates my decision to go there, really," said Crew, who's firm donated $25,000 to the Red Cross immediately after the attacks. "It's (the restaurant's) sacrifice and I appreciate them for doing this. I'm a willing participant and it makes me want to go there even more."
Stars restaurant executive chef Amaryll Schwertner created a special three- course fixed-price meal for tonight featuring a double rack of lamb chops and an array of pumpkin-themed appetizers.
The restaurant advertised its participation in the fund-raiser with a sign in the window, but director of operations Lori Regis said she was unsure what kind of crowd the restaurant would draw on a night when there are no performances at the nearby Opera House and Symphony.
"The climate in the restaurant community seems to be that more people are hesitant to make reservations and they just show up at the door," Regis said. "Reservations are light tonight because there aren't any performances."
Some restaurants had their personal reasons for participating as well.
Former Boulevard restaurant pastry chef Heather Ho was killed in the collapse of the towers while she worked at the restaurant Windows on the World.
Boulevard reservationist Lori Glumac said the restaurant's participation in the fund-raiser was just one step in the healing process for many of the staff.
"We lost a member of our family basically," Glumac said. "We all have had each other's support, which is very good."
Beyond tonight, the restaurant also plans to team up with Aqua, where Ho also worked, to host a $175-a-head dinner at Aqua and an $80-a-head brunch at Boulevard in the coming weeks in Ho's honor.
The proceeds will help establish the Heather Ho Memorial Endowment Scholarship at the Culinary Institute of America.
"Heather would love this, Glumac said. "She would be in there 100 percent to back it up."
Thousands of restaurants across the country have agreed to donate at least 10 percent of their sales today to the Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund, which was formed to help the families of food service employees who were killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center towers.
Despite a sluggish dining season that was even further crippled in the aftermath of the attacks, more than 100 restaurants in the Bay Area signed up for the one-day fund-raiser, including Bacar, Chez Panisse, Farallon, Delfina and Gary Danko's.
Rubicon has been overbooking the restaurant for both lunch and dinner due to the overwhelming demand from its patrons for today's seatings.
"The reservation line has been insane and we have just been taking them and telling them to come in," said Rubicon manager Daisy Nunez. "We need as much volume as possible to make as much of a contribution as we can."
Nunez said that while lunch traffic has been steady, dinner traffic has fallen off roughly 40 percent lately and the staff was looking forward to getting back to some sense of normalcy with tonight's fund-raiser.
"It's been very very slow so they are really looking forward to it," Nunez said. "We're anticipating a big crowd."
Gene Crew, a partner at the law firm of Townsend and Townsend and Crew, said he had planned a social dinner with colleagues for tonight at Rubicon and was pleased to learn that a portion of the meal would help relief efforts.
"It validates my decision to go there, really," said Crew, who's firm donated $25,000 to the Red Cross immediately after the attacks. "It's (the restaurant's) sacrifice and I appreciate them for doing this. I'm a willing participant and it makes me want to go there even more."
Stars restaurant executive chef Amaryll Schwertner created a special three- course fixed-price meal for tonight featuring a double rack of lamb chops and an array of pumpkin-themed appetizers.
The restaurant advertised its participation in the fund-raiser with a sign in the window, but director of operations Lori Regis said she was unsure what kind of crowd the restaurant would draw on a night when there are no performances at the nearby Opera House and Symphony.
"The climate in the restaurant community seems to be that more people are hesitant to make reservations and they just show up at the door," Regis said. "Reservations are light tonight because there aren't any performances."
Some restaurants had their personal reasons for participating as well.
Former Boulevard restaurant pastry chef Heather Ho was killed in the collapse of the towers while she worked at the restaurant Windows on the World.
Boulevard reservationist Lori Glumac said the restaurant's participation in the fund-raiser was just one step in the healing process for many of the staff.
"We lost a member of our family basically," Glumac said. "We all have had each other's support, which is very good."
Beyond tonight, the restaurant also plans to team up with Aqua, where Ho also worked, to host a $175-a-head dinner at Aqua and an $80-a-head brunch at Boulevard in the coming weeks in Ho's honor.
The proceeds will help establish the Heather Ho Memorial Endowment Scholarship at the Culinary Institute of America.
"Heather would love this, Glumac said. "She would be in there 100 percent to back it up."