2011 Restaurant Neighbor Award
Given to McMurphy’s Grill
National Restaurant Association
Honors Downtown St. Louis Restaurant
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Norm Benedict, 573.443.4388
norman@normanrobert.com
St. Louis, Missouri, November 29, 2011 — The staff of McMurphy’s Grill, 614 North 11th Street, recently received word they had been selected to receive the prestigious Restaurant Neighbor Award for 2011.
For each of the past 20 years, the National Restaurant Association has recognized just a handful of restaurants with this award, founded by American Express and given to those establishments that go above and beyond on behalf of the cities and communities they serve. General Manager Nunzio Lama accepted for McMurphy’s Grill.
In 1990, St. Patrick Center, an agency of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, expanded its employment program when it opened McMurphy’s Grill in downtown St. Louis —
the first-anywhere full service restaurant for training those in their care that were either homeless or experiencing mental breakdown. The purpose of this project was to enable 30 to 40 trainees each year to develop good work habits, learn the food business and go on to successful careers in the restaurant industry.
The staff at McMurphy’s serves thousands annually, showing that given the chance, those who have had setbacks will work hard to improve themselves and their position in life. The restaurant’s patrons, in addition to getting a good meal with good service, can see first hand what’s being done in at least one place in one city to counteract the problems caused by unemployment and lack of job skills.
Nunzio, after graduating from hotel/restaurant management school in his native Italy, developed his skills in high quality restaurants in London, Toronto and New Orleans. “The work here is very gratifying,” he says. “There are challenges, but what the trainees are able to achieve inspires me. We receive many compliments from customers, who are amazed at how well this operation runs.”
In the past three years, McMurphy’s has graduated 208 trainees. Of those, almost 80% moved on to employment within the community.
“The generosity of restaurateurs is well known within the communities they serve. To be selected from such a special group to receive the Restaurant Neighbor Award is truly an outstanding achievement, and a wonderful example of the American people at their best,” noted Missouri Restaurant Association CEO, Bob Bonney.
St. Patrick Center is the largest provider of homeless services in Missouri, serving more than 9,000 annually who are homeless or at risk.
The Missouri Restaurant Association administers to the needs of more than 1,600 members statewide. Its objectives are to enhance and improve member growth and development by assisting them in becoming more effective operators, and improving the political and social environment in which the industry conducts its business — for the benefit of patrons, employees, and communities served.
