Dine Around Seattle Raises Funds for Local Non-Profits

This November, local diners will be able to taste the best of what our area has to offer at a delicious price, and make a difference in our community at the same time. Seattle Good Business Network is excited to announce the first ever Dine Around for a Difference campaign. In partnership with participating restaurants and local diners, they aim to raise over $20,000 in support of three important causes: Viva Farms, the Rainier Valley Food Bank, and the scholarship fund at The Seattle Culinary Academy. Diners can donate to the fund right from their phones by texting DINE to 41444. From there they will be instructed on how to complete a credit card donation, or will be called the next day to do so over the phone. Find out more at www.dinearoundseattle.org/difference.

“Great local restaurants are just one important part of a sustainable local food economy. Dine Around Seattle provides an incredible opportunity to not only support the local economy by dining out, but also shine a light on some of the other critical pieces of the puzzle,” said Seattle Good Business Network’s Christine Hanna. “Tens of thousands of residents will participate in Dine Around Seattle this November, and with the help of our participating restaurants, every one of them will learn about three great local food non-profits. Diners that choose to donate to the Dine Around for a Difference Fund will help new farmers get on their feet, feed our hungry neighbors, and train the next generation of great local chefs. Since this is the first time we’ve attempted this, we are extremely excited to see the results, and truly appreciate the community’s feedback and support. Let’s raise some money!”

The Dine Around for a Difference Fund will support:

Viva Farms
Viva Farms, a farm incubator in Skagit Valley, is answering the question, “Who will grow our food?” With development threatening our shrinking farmland, and an aging population of farmers, this question is more pressing than ever! Donations will help provide new farmers– over half of whom are Latino–affordable access to land, equipment, training and technical assistance, capital, credit and markets. www.vivafarms.org

Rainier Valley Food Bank
More than 1 in 6 people in our area don’t know where their next meal is coming from. With a scrappy staff and more than 1,000 dedicated volunteers, the Rainier Valley Food Bank serves roughly 12,000 people every month from its tiny 1,200-square foot facility. Donations will fight hunger by providing groceries to families in need in southeast Seattle. www.rvfb.org

The Seattle Culinary Academy
The Seattle Culinary Academy provides the most skilled and earth-conscious culinarians in our area–in fact, there’s probably a graduate cooking in your favorite restaurant! Donations will support their Scholarship Fund, providing access and opportunity for those who might never have had a chance for a fulfilling career with a living wage. www.seattleculinary.com

Dine Around Seattle®

Participating restaurants will offer three-course prix fixe dinners for $30, with some offering lunch for $15. This price does not include beverages, tax or gratuity. Each restaurant will offer their Dine Around Seattle® menu Sundays through Thursdays, from November 3rd through the 27th. Beginning October 15th diners interested in making reservations can do so via the OpenTable reservations widget atwww.dinearoundseattle.org. Dine Around Seattle®’s diners are encouraged to check in during their dining experiences via Facebook, Twitter (@dinearoundsea), FourSquare and Instagram, and to visit on Pinterest, as well.

The complete list of participating restaurants includes:
Andaluca, Barking Frog, Barolo Ristorante, BeachHouse Bar+ Grill, Blueacre Seafood, BOKA Restaurant + Bar, Brass Tacks, Cantinetta Bellevue, Cantinetta Seattle, Ch:an, Chandler’s Crabhouse, Chiso Sushi, Cicchetti Kitchen and Bar, Coastal Kitchen, Cutters Crabhouse, Delicatus, Eva Restaurant, Fresh Bistro, Hunger 2.0, Le Grand Bistro Americain, Lecosho, Local 360, Mamma Melina Ristorante & Pizzeria, Monsoon East, Monsoon Restaurant, Nishino, Olivar, Palisade Grill, Pesos, Ponti Seafood Grill, Preservation Kitchen, Rays Boathouse, Rays Café, Spazzo Italian Grill & Wine Bar, Steelhead Diner, Stumbling Goat Bistro, Tango Restaurant, Ten Mercer, The Commons Kitchen & Bar, The Georgian, The Hunt Club at the Sorrento Hotel, The Olive and Grape, The Scotch and Vine, Toulouse Petit, TRACE Seattle, Volterra Ballard, Volterra Kirkland.

Dine Around Seattle® would not be possible without our sponsors which include Charlie’s Produce, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, KOMO News Radio, OpenTable, Seattle Weekly, The Stranger, NW Polite Society, Seattle Met, and Hale’s Ales.

Seattle Good Business Network
Seattle Good Business Network is a non-profit network of residents and local businesses building a vibrant, self-reliant local economy by buying, producing and investing locally. We believe in local ownership, strong community, and a healthy environment.

To learn more about Seattle Good Business Network, see www.seattlenetwork.org. For a complete directory of members, go to www.thinklocalseattle.org.