The Minnesota Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Neighbor Award recognizes restaurants that demonstrate continuing community service through one or more programs that raise funds, encourage volunteers, increase awareness or in other ways assist non-profit or charitable efforts and that encourage involvement by employees, guests and suppliers in their community activity. This award was presented for the first time in 2016.
2017 Restaurant Neighbor Award:
Pub 500
Pub 500 in Mankato isn’t your average restaurant and bar; it is also a community fundraising event center. Owner Tom Frederick questioned if the thousands of dollars he was spending each year on traditional advertising was effective. Wanting to try something else that also gave back to the community, Tom started advertising his pub as an event center and began giving away “Pub Bucks.” Pub Bucks are gift certificates for the Pub that Tom gives away to specific charities for the year. The charities can then sell the certificates for whatever price they wish (typically at a discount) and keep 100% of the proceeds. Since beginning the program in 2012, Pub 500 has given away close to $20,000 per year worth of certificates.
Along with the hugely successful Pub Bucks program, Pub 500 also donates or heavily discounts catered food for community events, donates items to various silent auctions,and holds donation drives for Toys for Tots and Santa’s Little Helper.
Tom says he and his operating partner, Jay Reasner, first got into the restaurant business to make money so they could give back to the community. However, what he found was the reverse: the more they gave back, the more they gained. Tom likes to call this “the business of giving” and he has seen firsthand the value of good karma. Tom says having Pub 500 open its doors to give the community a gathering place and having everyone work together to help people out is an incredibly magical and rewarding experience.
Along with the hugely successful Pub Bucks program, Pub 500 also donates or heavily discounts catered food for community events, donates items to various silent auctions,and holds donation drives for Toys for Tots and Santa’s Little Helper.
Tom says he and his operating partner, Jay Reasner, first got into the restaurant business to make money so they could give back to the community. However, what he found was the reverse: the more they gave back, the more they gained. Tom likes to call this “the business of giving” and he has seen firsthand the value of good karma. Tom says having Pub 500 open its doors to give the community a gathering place and having everyone work together to help people out is an incredibly magical and rewarding experience.
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Jay Reasner (left) and Tom Frederick
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Past Recipients of the Restaurant Neighbor Award:
- Bites Grill Bar (2016)
