Ninety Nine’s “A Passion to Serve” Mission Evident in Commitment to Local Communities

Ninety Nine Restaurant’s company-wide commitment to “A Passion to Serve” in the communities which they do business means the Ninety Nine strives to create team member awareness by giving back to those less fortunate in the community.

Through its involvement with The Pine Street Inn and The Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the team members of the Ninety Nine Restaurant always live out their philosophy: “A Passion to Serve.” 

Pine Street Inn
The Ninety Nine Restaurant’s giving relationship with the Pine Street Inn, New England’s largest homeless shelter, began in 1981 when founder Charlie Doe entered the Inn eager to give something back to the community that helped him build his restaurant into a successful chain. To this day, team members from various locations volunteer to travel to the Pine Street Inn on the second Tuesday of every month to prepare and serve restaurant-style dinners for more than 1,000 guests. This calculates to more than 250,000 meals over the past 27 years – an approximate value of $1,000,000. 

In 1990, with the help of Ninety Nine Restaurant, the Pine Street Inn launched its Food Services Job Training Program to help homeless men and women acquire the skills and self confidence to move back into the community. The success of this program is due in large part to the partnership with Ninety Nine Restaurants. 

In December 1996, the Pine Street Inn and Ninety Nine Restaurant dedicated a new center for the Job Training & Food Services Program in Boston, Massachusetts. The two-story, 14,000-square foot facility links the Inn’s men’s and women’s units and houses a large kitchen, food services training center, administrative offices, and a culinary garden. Ninety Nine played a significant role in the design and development of the center. They designed a cost-effective and efficient kitchen and worked to secure donated kitchen equipment and supplies. This new structure tripled the enrollment capacity for the Food Services Job Training Program. 

Lyndia Downey, Executive Director of the Pine Street Inn, continuously expresses her gratitude to the Ninety Nine Restaurant. "They've set the bar so high for anybody else. And it's not just about money, but about how they can help us. They helped build us a state-of-the-art kitchen for training." The Ninety Nine Restaurant has become the largest corporate contributor to the Pine Street Inn. In 2007, the Ninety Nine marked the 27th anniversary of its relationship with the Pine Street Inn with a total financial contribution of $2.7 million. The 2007 “Have a Heart” raffle was able to raise a record $50,000. Other proceeds have been raised through golf tournaments and other fundraisers.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Ninety Nine Restaurants broadened community involvement by developing relationships at the local level with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the oldest and largest organization that has a primary mission of service to youth. Each time a new restaurant location is opened, the Ninety Nine makes a donation to benefit the local Boys & Girls Club that serves that location’s community.  

Another area in which the Ninety Nine Restaurant serves the Boys and Girls Club is through its Dressed to the Nines initiative. In order to evolve with the ever-changing restaurant industry, the company launched a new look in its restaurants, which includes a more contemporary image and décor. As each restaurant is “refreshed,” a two-week long in-restaurant silent auction is held to raise money for the local Boys & Girls Club and the public school system. Plaques and memorabilia that have decorated the restaurant are auctioned off as part of the restaurant’s Dressed to the Nines Initiative.

Each Ninety Nine Restaurant is involved on an ongoing basis with the local Boys & Girls Club Chapter in their community.  In fact, as of June 2007, the popular silent auctions have already brought in over $50,000 for local Boys & Girls Clubs.