New Jersey Restaurant Association Joins "The Great American Dine Out" to Help Those in Need

Trenton, NJ, September 11, 2009 --(PR.com)-- The New Jersey Restaurant Association (NJRA) has teamed up with other state restaurant associations to kick-off the second annual Share Our Strength® Great American Dine Out, a week-long program that raises money to feed kids at risk of hunger in our communities, September 20 – 26, 2009.

“The New Jersey Restaurant Association is pleased to participate again in this year’s Great American Dine Out. This event is consistent with the NJRA’s 2009 theme encouraging the public to ‘Dine Out Often,” said NJRA President Deborah Dowdell. “We hope to continue this program each year and encourage restaurants and consumers to help end childhood hunger in America.”

Participating restaurants include: Bernards Inn, Bernardsville; Blue Moon Mexican Café, Englewood, Old Tappan, Wyckoff and Woodcliff Lake; Carlucci’s Waterfront, Mount Laurel; Copper Fish, Cape May; Doris and Ed’s, Highlands; Glen Rock Inn, Glen Rock; Irish Pub of New Jersey, Clementon; Joe’s Crab Shack, Lawrenceville; La Capagne, Cherry Hill; Legal Sea Foods, Paramus and Short Hills; LITM, Jersey City; Pandolfi’s, Bridgeton; Park Avenue Bistro, Freehold; Ri-Ra, Atlantic City; Rocky Hill Inn, Rocky Hill; Rod’s Steak & Seafood Grille, Morristown; The Frog and The Peach, New Brunswick; The Melting Pot, Atlantic City; The Palm, Atlantic City and East Hampton; Tre Piani, Princeton, Verve Restaurant, Somerville; Village Pizza and Pasta, Allendale; and Yokohama Cuisine, Mapleshade.

Each year, more than 12 million children in America are at risk of hunger. Share Our Strength® is the leading national organization that works to end childhood hunger in America. From September 20 – 26, restaurants will donate a percentage of sales to Share Our Strength®. The first Great American Dine Out event, held in September 2008, had nearly 4,000 participating restaurants ranging from family-owned establishments to national chains and raised more than $500,000 dollars to help fight childhood hunger. This year, Share Our Strength® hopes to increase participation and surpass the amount of money raised.

The NJRA represents owners and operators of full-service restaurants, catering facilities, taverns & pubs, brew pubs, diner restaurants, hotel restaurants, coffee shops, limited & quick service restaurants, institutional feeders, delis pizzerias, country clubs, culinary students and schools. Today, the New Jersey restaurant and hospitality industry includes 17,000 eating and drinking establishments generating $12 billion in annual sales and employing 311,000 people.

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