DALLAS /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The Maggiano's Little Italy(R) "Eat-A-Dish for Make-A-Wish" campaign begins today nationwide, giving its guests several tasty ways to support a great cause. The program runs through May 26 and benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation(R), which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.
Maggiano's helps children like Grace, who wished to be in her own fairytale, live their one true wish. Volunteers from the Make-A-Wish Foundation created a whimsical wish day for Grace, from a magical tea party to a golf cart ride with a pirate at the wheel. Her fairy tale came to a close at Maggiano's Little Italy in Bellevue, Wash., where the entire staff wore fairy-tale hats and decorated its banquet room in the day's theme, for their guest of honor.
Aiming to grant at least one wish per restaurant, the "Eat-A-Dish for Make-A-Wish" program includes three key fundraising components:
Maggiano's restaurants continually support the Make-A-Wish Foundation throughout the year, in addition to this annual campaign. Restaurants organize events to honor Make-A-Wish(R) children, such as send-off parties before their wishes or welcome home parties after their wishes have come true. Additionally, Maggiano's hosts Make-A-Wish birthday parties with family and friends.
"Maggiano's and the Make-A-Wish Foundation are a perfect pair - we are both in the business of making people feel special," said Steve Provost, president of Maggiano's Little Italy. "Every year, there are endless stories like Grace's that truly demonstrate the passion and dedication our restaurants and our teammates feel for granting wishes."
"The enthusiasm Maggiano's operators and guests bring to the table during the 'Eat-A-Dish for Make-A-Wish' campaign is inspiring," said Make-A-Wish Foundation of America president and CEO David Williams. "In the six years Maggiano's has aligned with us, their restaurants and guests have raised more than $1 million for our foundation. We look forward to the 'Eat-A-Dish for Make-A-Wish' program each year, and we're excited for this year's program to get underway."
This year's "Eat-A-Dish for Make-A-Wish" menu includes:
Maggiano's Little Italy specializes in Italian-American cuisine served in a warm and friendly atmosphere. Maggiano's menu features both classic and contemporary recipes -- authentic pastas, signature salads, prime steaks, fresh seafood, regular chef specials and specialty desserts. Maggiano's 45 locations worldwide offer lunch and dinner, delivery, carryout service and banquet spaces for special occasions. Maggiano's is owned and operated by Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE: EAT), one of the world's leading casual dining restaurant companies, with more than 1,700 restaurants in 29 countries and two territories.
Other Brinker restaurant brands include Chili's(R) Grill & Bar and On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina(R). Brinker also holds a minority investment in Romano's Macaroni Grill(R).
The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Founded in 1980 when a group of caring volunteers helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, the Foundation is now the largest wish-granting charity in the world, with 65 chapters in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and nearly 25,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a wish every 40 minutes and has granted more than 188,000 wishes in the United States since its inception.
SOURCE Maggiano's Little Italy
Maggiano's Little Italy specializes in Italian-American cuisine served in a warm and friendly atmosphere.