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More Home Slice’s charity donation boxes
More Home Slice’s charity donation boxes
Nadia Chaudhury/EATX

14 Restaurants Where You Can Dine For a Good Cause

These Austin dining establishments give back

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More Home Slice’s charity donation boxes
| Nadia Chaudhury/EATX

Austinites are known for valuing their community, and restaurants are no exception. With a vibrant nonprofit network and dynamic dining scene, it only makes sense that the two work together. This means Austin restaurants, bars, and food trucks often help raise money for good causes, through dish specials, partial sale donations, and events.

From coffee shops with a cause, like My Name is Joe and Patika, to charitable bars like King Bee and Sellers, the dining scene supports many different aspects of the nonprofit community. Some restaurants, like Cane Rosso or The ABGB, even have personal nonprofits and giving programs, and grilled cheese food truck Melted sends all of its profits to an international organization. For other feel-good meals, visit a restaurant that participates in Mealshare, where customers can order specific dishes and the organization will donates meals to children in need.

Everything below is listed in geographical order, from north to south. Is there a do-gooder spot missing? Let Eater know through the tipline, within the comments, or over on the forum.

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Salt Traders Coastal Cooking

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Though Salt Traders Coastal Cooking take its supplies fresh from the ocean, the seafood restaurant also gives back. A portion of sales from the Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Cocktail go to the Texas Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association.  

Salt Traders Coastal Cooking
Salt Traders Coastal Cooking
Kenny Braun Photography

King Bee Lounge

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Like Billy Hankey’s infamous Frozen Bee’s Knees, the owner of the bar is pretty sweet when it comes to helping out others. King Bee Lounge donates to a different charity every month, with previous recipients including ICE Out of Austin and Travis County #StrongerTogether.

King Bee
King Bee
Colette D./Yelp

Z'Tejas Mexican Restaurant and Grill

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Through its Cornbread for a Cause program, a portion of Z Tejas’s cornbread sales go to organizations like Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas. The program has raised $150,000 (including its Arizona locations) to date.

Z’Tejas
Z’Tejas
Catherine C./Yelp

Sophia's

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For the month of June, the Italian restaurant is donating sales from a single highlighted cocktail during its Tuesday night shift drinks, which will be hosted by various guest bartenders, from indie pop band Wild Child to television host Taylor Ellison, starting at 9 p.m.

Sophia’s
Sophia’s
Sophia’s/Facebook

My Name Is Joe Coffee Co.

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After Chef Philip Speer’s struggles with addiction, he partnered with William Bar of Garage Bar to make his next food truck a social venture. 1.2 percent of all My Name Is Joe sales will be donated to Comfort Cafe, a donation-based restaurant in Smithville which is run by residents of addiction treatment center Serenity Star Recovery.

My Name Is Joe Coffee Co.
My Name Is Joe Coffee Co.
Julie Cope Photography

Sellers Underground

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Put that Sunday Funday towards a good cause. Seller’s, the 4th Street sister of Rainey’s Icenhauer’s, donates 10 percent of its sales to a different charity each month, with recipients including Texas Advocacy Project and AIDS Services of Austin.

Sellers
Sellers
Sellers/Official

This grilled cheese truck will make sandwiches and hearts all gooey: it donates 100 percent of the profits from Melted to International Justice Mission.

Melted Grilled Cheese
Melted Grilled Cheese
Melted Grilled Cheese/Facebook

Hopdoddy Burger Bar

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Austin’s beloved burger joint donates one dollar of each Goodnight Burger to Lone Star Paralysis Foundation. This effort earned the organization over $150,000 in 2016 alone.

Hopdoddy Burger Bar’s Goodnight burger
Hopdoddy Burger Bar’s Goodnight burger
Hopdoddy Burger Bar/Official

Home Slice Pizza

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Home Slice will donate ten percent of purchases made with Go Local Austin cards towards charity. Or opt for the monthly challenge (like playing truth or dare or singing for your supper) for the same effect. The pizzeria chooses three nonprofits each month (recipients have included Waller Creek Conservancy and Slice Out Hunger), and customers pick which will receive their contributions. There are also donation boxes set up outside of next-door to-go spot More Home Slice.

Home Slice Pizza
Home Slice Pizza
Home Slice/Facebook

South Lamar cafe Patika works with its staff to choose a charity that could use a boost, and donates 10 percent of sales from the second Sunday of each month. Past recipients have included Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) and arts organization Big Medium.

Patika
Patika
Patika/Official

The ABGB

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Taking its motto “Beer makes it better” to a community, The ABGB donates five percent of its profits to charities that are part of its Hell Yes Project, like Save Our Springs Alliance and Austin Habitat for Humanity.

The ABGB
The ABGB
Nathan H./Yelp

Jack Allen's Kitchen

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Head to Jack Allen’s Kitchen where a portion of sales from the hefty Carl Miller’s Queso (with green chile pork and guacamole) benefit the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation. The restaurant also hosts a fundraising party each year for the cause.

Jack Allen’s Kitchen in Oak Hill
Jack Allen’s Kitchen in Oak Hill
Kenny Braun

Cane Rosso

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The pooch-loving owner of Cane Rosso (the name means “red dog” in Italian) started a nonprofit to help dog rescue groups in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. A portion of each restaurant’s profits are donated to the nonprofit, which is also supported by a branded Cane Rosso Rescue wine and fundraising nights hosted on the patio.

Cane Rosso
Cane Rosso
Robert J. Lerma/EATX

Salt Lick BBQ

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To celebrate the barbecue restaurant’s 50th anniversary, The Salt Lick in Driftwood created a year of giving program for 2017, where a different charity will receive a portion of sales from part of its menu every month. For June, ten percent of all dessert sales will go to Austin Parks Foundation.

Salt Lick’s pit
Salt Lick.
Salt Lick/Facebook

Salt Traders Coastal Cooking

Though Salt Traders Coastal Cooking take its supplies fresh from the ocean, the seafood restaurant also gives back. A portion of sales from the Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Cocktail go to the Texas Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association.  

Salt Traders Coastal Cooking
Salt Traders Coastal Cooking
Kenny Braun Photography

King Bee Lounge

Like Billy Hankey’s infamous Frozen Bee’s Knees, the owner of the bar is pretty sweet when it comes to helping out others. King Bee Lounge donates to a different charity every month, with previous recipients including ICE Out of Austin and Travis County #StrongerTogether.

King Bee
King Bee
Colette D./Yelp

Z'Tejas Mexican Restaurant and Grill

Through its Cornbread for a Cause program, a portion of Z Tejas’s cornbread sales go to organizations like Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas. The program has raised $150,000 (including its Arizona locations) to date.

Z’Tejas
Z’Tejas
Catherine C./Yelp

Sophia's

For the month of June, the Italian restaurant is donating sales from a single highlighted cocktail during its Tuesday night shift drinks, which will be hosted by various guest bartenders, from indie pop band Wild Child to television host Taylor Ellison, starting at 9 p.m.

Sophia’s
Sophia’s
Sophia’s/Facebook

My Name Is Joe Coffee Co.

After Chef Philip Speer’s struggles with addiction, he partnered with William Bar of Garage Bar to make his next food truck a social venture. 1.2 percent of all My Name Is Joe sales will be donated to Comfort Cafe, a donation-based restaurant in Smithville which is run by residents of addiction treatment center Serenity Star Recovery.

My Name Is Joe Coffee Co.
My Name Is Joe Coffee Co.
Julie Cope Photography

Sellers Underground

Put that Sunday Funday towards a good cause. Seller’s, the 4th Street sister of Rainey’s Icenhauer’s, donates 10 percent of its sales to a different charity each month, with recipients including Texas Advocacy Project and AIDS Services of Austin.

Sellers
Sellers
Sellers/Official

Melted

This grilled cheese truck will make sandwiches and hearts all gooey: it donates 100 percent of the profits from Melted to International Justice Mission.

Melted Grilled Cheese
Melted Grilled Cheese
Melted Grilled Cheese/Facebook

Hopdoddy Burger Bar

Austin’s beloved burger joint donates one dollar of each Goodnight Burger to Lone Star Paralysis Foundation. This effort earned the organization over $150,000 in 2016 alone.

Hopdoddy Burger Bar’s Goodnight burger
Hopdoddy Burger Bar’s Goodnight burger
Hopdoddy Burger Bar/Official

Home Slice Pizza

Home Slice will donate ten percent of purchases made with Go Local Austin cards towards charity. Or opt for the monthly challenge (like playing truth or dare or singing for your supper) for the same effect. The pizzeria chooses three nonprofits each month (recipients have included Waller Creek Conservancy and Slice Out Hunger), and customers pick which will receive their contributions. There are also donation boxes set up outside of next-door to-go spot More Home Slice.

Home Slice Pizza
Home Slice Pizza
Home Slice/Facebook

Patika

South Lamar cafe Patika works with its staff to choose a charity that could use a boost, and donates 10 percent of sales from the second Sunday of each month. Past recipients have included Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) and arts organization Big Medium.

Patika
Patika
Patika/Official

The ABGB

Taking its motto “Beer makes it better” to a community, The ABGB donates five percent of its profits to charities that are part of its Hell Yes Project, like Save Our Springs Alliance and Austin Habitat for Humanity.

The ABGB
The ABGB
Nathan H./Yelp

Jack Allen's Kitchen

Head to Jack Allen’s Kitchen where a portion of sales from the hefty Carl Miller’s Queso (with green chile pork and guacamole) benefit the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation. The restaurant also hosts a fundraising party each year for the cause.

Jack Allen’s Kitchen in Oak Hill
Jack Allen’s Kitchen in Oak Hill
Kenny Braun

Cane Rosso

The pooch-loving owner of Cane Rosso (the name means “red dog” in Italian) started a nonprofit to help dog rescue groups in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. A portion of each restaurant’s profits are donated to the nonprofit, which is also supported by a branded Cane Rosso Rescue wine and fundraising nights hosted on the patio.

Cane Rosso
Cane Rosso
Robert J. Lerma/EATX

Salt Lick BBQ

To celebrate the barbecue restaurant’s 50th anniversary, The Salt Lick in Driftwood created a year of giving program for 2017, where a different charity will receive a portion of sales from part of its menu every month. For June, ten percent of all dessert sales will go to Austin Parks Foundation.

Salt Lick’s pit
Salt Lick.
Salt Lick/Facebook

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