It's
On The House
By LENA MITCHELL
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal
5/27/03
A
complimentary meal is a small token of appreciation to public safety
officers who put themselves in harms way to protect their communities
and their country, said Tupelo restaurateur Bernard Bean of the
Eat With Us restaurant group.
On Memorial day the restaurants -
which included Harvey's, Grill, Sweet Peppers Deli, and Bulldog
Deli - served free meals to firefighters, law enforcement officers,
members of the armed forces and veterans who ate at any of the eight
restaurants in Tupelo, Columbus and Starkville.
"This is just
a gesture of good will to our communities," Bean said. "Our
police, fire and military people do a lot, and this is just a small
way to say thank you."
Teams from each of the restaurants
had circulated posters and flyers to fire stations, police and sheriff's
departments, armories and other military installations and veterans
meeting places in each of the communities to alert people who were
eligible about the offer.
" We don't know how many people
we'll have, " he said. "That is usually a slow day for
us, but this might bring in as many people as a usual day."
Gesture welcome
Several veterans who took
an early lunch at Peppers in Tupelo were pleasantly surprised to
get the complimentary meal. "I didn't know they were going
to do this, but I'm glad I came," said David O. "Son"
Puckett, 83, a veteran of World War II who served as a U.S. Navy
pilot.
Workers who came from Bryce Corp.
in Tupelo for lunch at Peppers included three veterans who enjoyed
the restaurant's hospitality. Steve Bechel of Eudora served in the
Army, Charles Roberts of Brewer in the Navy and Jeff Southard of
Saltillo in the Air Force.
Tupelo
police patrol officers Billy Gibson and Alan Chavers were among
the special guests at Harvey's. "They called (E–911) this
morning and it was announced on the radio," Gibson said. "They
also brought flyers to the (police department). They made every
effort to get us here, and I think it's very nice."
"It gave me a chance for my family to
have lunch with me on a day when I'm off on duty," Chavers
said.
The offer continued until restaurant closing
time. Bean estimates that about five to 10 percent of the day's
customers would be served complimentary meals. "This is the
first time we've done something like this, but we may do it again
for Veteran's Day." Bean said.
Appeared originally:
Mitchell, Lena (2003, May 27). It's on the house. Northeast Mississippi
Daily Journal, p. 1A.
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