Across the Phoenix area, restaurants are finding creative ways to make a meal mean more. Some donate part of a dessert sale while others feed people experiencing homelessness. There are cafes supporting local kids and helping nonprofits through everyday orders.
Dining out may not solve every challenge facing the Valley, but these restaurants show how small choices can add up. Sometimes that means ordering a particular dish. Sometimes it is buying an extra meal, handing someone a bag of essentials, or leaving a dollar behind on the wall. Either way, the table gets a little bigger.
That said, here are the Phoenix restaurants making it easy to dine out and do some good, too.
Over Easy Lets Kids Help Kids
At Over Easy even the littlest diners can help give back. Through its Kids Helping Kids initiative, a portion of every children’s menu item sold at the restaurant’s 19 Arizona locations benefits Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
The year-round program is part of Over Easy’s broader four-year, $500,000 pledge to the hospital. It also complements other annual fundraising efforts, including the Dollars for a Dozen campaign. It’s a simple idea with a big reach, and diners get breakfast and lunch, while also giving extra support for Arizona kids and families. Multiple locations, eatatovereasy.com
Miracle Mile Deli’s Joy Cake
Just in case you need an excuse for dessert, right now (until August 29) Miracle Mile Deli will donate 50% of every $8.50 slice of the five-layer vanilla Joy Cake to The Joy Bus. The Joy Bus is a local nonprofit that provides chef-prepared, medically-tailored meals at no cost to home-bound cancer patients.
The fundraiser supports The Joy Bus Dine Out Program, so a slice of cake can help put a nourishing meal on someone else’s table and a smile on your face. We call that a win-win. 4433 N. 16th St., Phoenix, miraclemiledeli.com
Red, White & Brew Keeps Community on the Menu
At Red, White & Brew in Mesa, giving back is part of the routine. The restaurant donates eight large pizzas to Sunshine Acres Children’s Home each week, providing roughly 50 meals for the children who live there. The restaurant also supports causes ranging from hunger relief to veterans and wildland firefighters. The company has also partnered with M.I.K.I.D., an Arizona nonprofit supporting the mental and behavioral health of children and families. 6740 E. McDowell Rd., Suite 102, Mesa, rwbaz.com
Loving Hut Pays it Forward
For 17 years, Linh La, owner of Loving Hut’s Glendale, Peoria, and Tempe locations, has made feeding people part of the vegan restaurants’ mission. Through a customer-supported Pay-it-Forward program, the restaurants provide around 15 fried rice meals a day to unhoused guests. Also, the team recently partnered with Feed a Neighbor to help distribute meals to families in central Phoenix.
The giving extends to animals too. Loving Hut redirects kitchen scraps and donated produce to Better Piggies Rescue, amounting to roughly 1,000 pounds of reusable food each week. So, come in, order a fried rice, and donate one to a neighbor in need.
Rusty Spur Turns Dollar Bills Into Something Bigger
Those dollar bills covering the walls at this old-school Old Town saloon are more than décor. Throughout the year, guests sign bills and pin them up, adding to a longtime tradition that ultimately benefits Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
Each December, the Rusty Spur team takes the money down and donates it to the institution’s Hope Fund. Since the campaign started three years ago, the restaurant has raised and donated around $18,000. So yes, grabbing a cold beer, catching live country music, and leaving a dollar on the wall can actually do some good. 7245 E. Main St., Scottsdale, rustyspursaloon.com
Luna Grill Gives Back to Local Youth
A Mediterranean meal can do a little extra good at Luna Grill. During the last weekend of the month, August 29 to 30, a portion of proceeds from participating locations will benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Arizona, which helps support local youth and families.
The partnership gives diners an easy way to turn a stop for kabobs, bowls, salads, and other Mediterranean favorites into support for young people in the community. Multiple locations, lunagrill.com
Ling & Louie’s Brunches With a Big Heart
Weekend brunch comes with an extra reason to linger at Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar & Grill. Through its Big Hearted Brunch program, the restaurant donates 10% of weekend brunch sales to a rotating local nonprofit partner each quarter.
Through September, the meals will benefit Teen Lifeline, with St. Mary’s Food Bank set to receive support later in the year. 9397 E. Shea Blvd., Suite 125, Scottsdale, lingandlouies.com
Ling’s Wok Shop Cooks Up Some Good
Ordering a house favorite can help someone beyond the table at Ling’s Wok Shop. Through its Cooking for a Cause program, a portion of sales from the restaurant’s “Ling’s Favorites” menu benefits Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale.
Later this year, the casual Asian comfort-food spot will turn its attention to Foothills Animal Rescue, continuing a program that pairs popular dishes with local organizations doing good around the Valley. 20511 N. Hayden Rd., Suite 100, Scottsdale, lingswokshop.com
Spinato’s Packs Kindness To Go
A little kindness travels well. Throughout September, diners at all six Spinato’s Pizzeria & Family Kitchen locations can add a $5 Kindness Bag to their visit, packed with toiletries, snacks, water, socks, and other everyday essentials to give directly to someone experiencing homelessness.
Now in its fourth year, The Kindness Challenge sends 100% of proceeds to St. Vincent de Paul, helping support services that feed, clothe, house, and care for people across the Valley. The effort is organized with the Kenneth Anthony Spinato Foundation, with the Phoenix Suns/Phoenix Mercury Foundation and Greco & Sons serving as presenting partners. Multiple locations, spinatospizzeria.com
Angry Crab Shack Gets Messy for a Good Cause
At Angry Crab Shack, getting your hands a little messy can help others. Guests can support Phoenix Children’s Hospital simply by ordering select menu items such as a Root Beer Float or House Fries tossed with Cajun seasoning, lemon pepper, or both.
For each participating item sold, $1 goes to the hospital. It is an easy add-on to a seafood feast and a fitting one for an Arizona-born restaurant that has made community partnerships part of its identity. Multiple locations, angrycrabshack.com
