O’Charley’s Donates More Than a Quarter Million Chicken Servings to Food Bank

I just want to take a moment and say thank you to O'Charley's for giving to a local charity and trying to make a difference and caring about people in these tough times. Many of us are not big fans of "chain" restaurants but when they still do things to help their hometowns and they still work to make a difference I think we should give them recognition for that and tell them thanks for caring.
~Corey

Read the news article below:


Officials at O’Charley’s restaurants, a leading casual-dining restaurant concept, donated 101,000 pounds of chicken to Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, one of the largest and most comprehensive of over 200 food banks and food distribution centers nationwide and also a member of Feeding America – The Nation’s Food Bank Network.

“This is the largest single donation of chicken we have ever received,” said Jaynee Day, president and CEO, Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. “Protein items are very rarely donated to Second Harvest, so this type of donation is truly significant. O’Charley’s has been one of our largest supporters, and we are grateful for their generous gift.”

The equivalent of three truckloads of the chicken is enough to feed over a quarter of a million people. It will be distributed throughout Second Harvest’s network of approximately 400 not for profit partner agencies in 46 counties in Middle and West Tennessee. Partners include food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, foster care facilities, senior centers, group homes, and youth enrichment programs. For more information on Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee and its programs, please visit www.secondharvestmidtn.org.

Read the rest of the article at Business Wire.

Fliers flock to O'Charley's

It is first of local eateries recruited to serve travelers

When her flight out of Nashville was delayed Wednesday, Kathy Kirby passed the usual airport restaurants and grabbed a seat at O'Charley's.

"I was tickled to death when I saw it," said Kirby, of Franklin, whose flight to Minnesota was about two hours late. Over a leisurely lunch of grilled chicken salad, she said, "It's nice to get a family restaurant instead of fast food."

O'Charley's on Friday opened a branch at Nashville International. By next summer, the casual restaurant chain will be joined by several other local favorites such as Whitt's Barbecue, Bongo Java and Tootsie's Orchid Lounge.

The restaurants are part of a $44 million renovation project at the airport. The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, which approved the project last summer, targeted local businesses for inclusion after a customer survey in 2003 found that people wanted brands they were familiar with at the airport, including local establishments. The restaurants will be phased in as construction progresses over the next two years.

"We are the front door step of Nashville and Middle Tennessee," said Rebecca Ramsey, the airport authority's manager of properties. "We want them to see and feel and hear and taste all the things they can expect when they get into the city."

Read the entire article in the Tennessean newspaper