Despite the pandemic, KOP Restaurant Week a success

Source, The Times Herald, Gary Puleo

The pandemic certainly hasn’t been kind to restaurants this year, but at least those that participated in King of Prussia District’s annual Restaurant Week were able to salvage most of the event last March, benefiting not only their own businesses but also raising money for a good cause.

King of Prussia District recently announced a donation of $40,000 to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) for its annual dining and retail events, KOP Restaurant Week and KOP Shops for CHOP. This year’s events were held March 9 through 15, and included over 100 restaurants, retailers and companies all fundraising for CHOP, the highest participation in the event’s six-year history. Additionally, the students, staff and administrators of Upper Merion Area School District joined in supporting CHOP by hosting fundraising pajama days throughout the special week.

“It was the week right before they basically shut things down, when they were first recommending that people work from home and stay at home,” recalled Eric Goldstein, Executive Director of King of Prussia District, and Member of CHOP’s King of Prussia Hospital Advisory Council. “That was the last week of Restaurant Week, so Restaurant Week was cut off by about two days. We feel very fortunate that we were able to get most of that week in and happy for the restaurants especially, because the following months have been very difficult for them. Based on the contributions we received I’d say it was on par with previous years.”

During Restaurant Week, King of Prussia’s top fine dining restaurants offer prix fixe menus and commit to donating at least 2.5 percent of proceeds from these menus to CHOP. Fast casual restaurants host donation days throughout the week. Held concurrently, during KOP Shops for CHOP, participating retailers also pledge to donate a portion of their proceeds on specific days.

The 2020 donation will support CHOP’s King of Prussia Specialty Care and Surgery Center, as well as its inpatient hospital that is currently under construction and slated to open next October. In the past six years, King of Prussia District and participating businesses have raised $152,500 for CHOP KOP through this campaign, Goldstein noted.

“For the first five years of Restaurant Week contributions went to the Specialty Care Center,” Goldstein noted. “This year we entered into an agreement with the new hospital to make a five year $100,000 contribution towards the new hospital. So, what that means is that beginning this year the first $20,000 we raise will go to the new hospital, which is the first hospital that Children’s Hospital has ever built outside of University City, and the remaining money will go to the Specialty Care Center.”

Participating restaurants included Bartaco; Chick-fil-A; Chili’s Grill & Bar; City Works; Creed’s Seafood and Steaks; Dairy Queen; Eddie V’s Prime Seafood; Fogo de Chao; Founding Farmers; The Habit Burger Grill; The Halal Guys; honeygrow; J. Alexander’s; Legal Sea Foods, LLC; Maggiano’s Little Italy; Morton’s The Steakhouse; Naf Naf Grill; North Italia; Paladar King of Prussia; Pepper’s by Amedeo’s; Plaza Azteca; Revolution Chop House; Savona; Seasons 52; Shake Shack; The Capital Grille; The Melting Pot; The Pub at Wegmans; Tiffin Indian Cuisine; True Food Kitchen; Valley Tavern and Yard House.

New this year, King of Prussia District introduced the Community Champions program, which provides a way for other businesses to join in the campaign as well. Donations were made by 37 businesses from King of Prussia and beyond through this program. King of Prussia District also partnered with Upper Merion Area School District, which hosted fundraising pajama days across all of their schools during the week.

“For the first time ever, our campaign brought together restaurants, retailers, companies and the Upper Merion Area School District to support a beloved and important resource in this community,” Goldstein said. “While it was certainly a challenging year given the circumstances, we are so proud of what this community has accomplished.”