Georgia Restaurant Neighbor Awards for Marlow’s Tavern and Ray’s on the River

Marlow’s Tavern and Ray’s Restaurants / Ray’s on the River have been serving up heaping helpings of hospitality in their dining rooms and out in the community for years, catching the  attention of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF). The organization has come knocking with its prestigious Georgia Restaurant Neighborhood Award to honor these good neighbors and inspire other restaurateurs to be more involved in their local communities.

For the past 16 years, Marlow’s Tavern and Sterling Spoon Culinary Management have teamed up to host an annual golf tournament benefiting Special Olympics Georgia (SOGA) and its athletes. Additionally, each time Marlow’s opens a new location, it hosts a friends-and-family “sneak preview” event, encouraging guests to donate to SOGA in lieu of paying for their meals. These joint efforts have raised over a half-million dollars for SOGA.

Ray’s on the River has partnered with the Fragile Kids Foundation for more than 20 years to provide wheelchair lifts, ramping, bathing and toileting equipment, therapy bikes, strollers and much more to Georgia’s medically fragile children. Ray’s hosts two big annual events for Fragile Kids Foundation: a golf tournament fundraiser and a breakfast with Santa where families benefitting from the foundation enjoy complimentary brunch and a visit with Santa at the riverside restaurant. 

State winners compete nationally, and four national winners will receive $5,000 awards for their favorite charities or community projects. Thanks, y’all, for your good works and best wishes for bringing home the national bacon for your causes!