13 hours Ago By Chris Chamberlain
Last month I promised to update you with more details about Dining Out for Life , the major fundraiser for Nashville CARES to help support the organization’s efforts to provide services to members of our community with HIV and AIDS. Well, I’m (usually) a man of my word, so here are the latest DOFL deets! First, the response from the restaurant community has been overwhelming! With a little less than a month to go until the May 1 event, almost 70 restaurants have signed up to participate, a big increase over last year’s roster of generous establishments. All have committed to donating at least 25 percent of their sales on the date to Nashville CARES, with dozens pledging 50 percent, 75 percent or even 100 percent of their receipts to the cause.
Even though this is a mature fundraiser with decades of experience, it’s great how both the CARES staff and the participating restaurants have been looking for creative ways to bring new things to the table. Some restaurants, like Cafe Cheeserie and Noko are planning their donation around a special dish, offering 100% of the proceeds toward the fundraiser. Next door to Noko, Kase x Noko has generously offered a seating just for DOFL participants at their omakase service on Monday, May 5 — the one day of the week that they’re not normally open.
Save the Date: May 1 Is Dining Out for Life Help Nashville Cares celebrate its 40th anniversary by dining out A couple of other restaurants have also chosen a different date for their events so diners can spread their participation out a little bit. Miel will be offering 50 percent of dining receipts for Wednesday, April 30, and The Lipstick Lounge will reprise its annual festive DOFL brunch service on Saturday, May 3, contributing 100 percent of food sales to CARES. If you want to figure out the best way to maximize your dining donation dollars for May 1 or choose your restaurant by neighborhood or time of day, DOFL organizers are hard at work updating a constantly-growing list of restaurants at the event website , so check back often.
You can also sort the list a few different ways if that helps you make choices. Dining Out for Life also features wonderful volunteer hosts, and anyone is eligible to join in that fun. More than two dozen hosts have already stepped up, and all they really have to do is invite their friends and contacts to dine with them at a particular restaurant during the event.
Hosts don’t have to pay for the party; they don’t have to clean up; all they have to do is have a great time with their friends. If you know of a place you’d like to host and suggest they join the effort, or if you see a spot already on the list that you’d like to volunteer to help out with, just fill out this quick questionnaire , and a staff member will get back to you soon. International Market For even more motivation to become a host, anyone who signs up with a restaurant by noon today, April 4 (I hope you’re reading this early!), will be entered in a drawing for the chance to win two seats at an exclusive Sunday Supper on April 13 with Chef Arnold Myint at International Market , celebrating Thai New Year.
Chef Myint is a longtime ardent supporter of DOFL and CARES, and he has generously set aside seats at his dinner, a $110-per-seat value! Whether you want to be a host or a guest, Dining Out for Life is a fun and easy way to contribute to a very important local nonprofit that has done amazing work in Middle Tennessee for 40 years! Please consider being a part of this great event..
