By now, most everyone has heard about the devastating fire that destroyed an entire commercial block on W. 50th Street and Bryant Avenue in South Minneapolis on February 18th. While the exact cause and nature of the fire are still being investigated, those who were impacted by this tragedy have been left without jobs. While some of them can scrape by on unemployment compensation while they look for other employment, many of them cannot afford to rely on that to fully support themselves and their families. As business owners, the proprietors of those two restaurants do not qualify for unemployment compensation, and thus are left to fend for themselves without any government assistance while waiting for the investigators to come to their final conclusions before their insurance policies can be of any help at all.

I spoke briefly with both Heidi and Stewart Woodman of Heidi's only hours after the tragedy, and both of them were amazingly upbeat and stoic. While I wasn't very surprised by that since we restaurant folk are a resilient lot, I was shocked by how almost cheerful they were in the face of it all. It is that kind of fortitude that one needs to survive in our business, and they have it by the barrelful. When I asked Heidi if there was anything that I could do to help, her concern was for her staff. I was genuinely touched by her words.

In response to this event, Molly Broder of Broder's, owner of both the venerable Italian deli and the pasta bar which are close neighbors to Bryant and 50th, in conjunction with our mutual friend Sue MacDonald, who with her husband Bob are two of the most generous supporters of the Twin Cities' restaurant scene, is working toward bringing together the restaurant community to help in offering some financial relief and aid to our friends and colleagues.

On Sunday, March 14th, restaurants across the Metro will be donating a portion of that evening's proceeds to a general fund account that is being set up by Molly and Sue that will be used to partially offset the losses now being incurred by those affected. Please look for announcements and press releases identifying those restaurants that are rallying to this effort.

I recently noted to a journalist who writes for a popular Twin Cities entertainment publication that I receive on average three to five charitable donation requests on a daily basis. The reasons for that are probably numerous, but it has long been known that we in the restaurant community are incredibly generous and giving folks. While many people see what by all appearances seems to be an awful large amount of cash flowing through our businesses, such appearances can be quite deceiving. The average profit margin for a fine dining restaurant in the U.S. is roughly 3%. That means that for every $100 gift certificate that is donated to a silent auction it is costing the restaurant $97. Multiply that by the hundreds of requests we receive each year, and you get the picture. Also consider that in a tough economy restaurant and entertainment venues are some of the hardest hit businesses. Most of my peers have suffered revenue reductions in the last year of about 20%. That has caused a lot of hardship in our industry for both ownership and staff. Nonetheless, our industry has continued to give to those in need. I hope that many of you out there can find it within your hearts to enjoy a night out at one the participating restaurants while finding comfort in the knowledge that part of the money spent on your dinner that evening will go toward helping others who have always, no matter what the situation, found it within their hearts to do the same for those less fortunate than they.