For food-obsessed Houstonians, August provides the opportunity to “dine out and do good” by scheduling a meal or two at establishments participating in Houston Restaurant Weeks, the annual charity dining event with almost 300 participating locations.
Building on that event’s success, other restaurants are holding their own charity dining events next month, including a new offering from one of Houston’s most successful hospitality groups. Here’s a quick look at these three initiatives.
For the first time ever, Pappas Restaurants has launched its own charity dining initiative that includes its more than 80 locations in eight states. From August 1 to September 7, every Pappas restaurant — a network that includes everything from 24-hour diner Dot’s Coffee Shop to the Michelin-recognized Pappas Bros. Steakhouse — will run specials with corresponding donations to that market’s food bank.
For example, Pappasitos Cantina, the company’s popular Tex-Mex concept, will serve a three-course, $40 menu that includes a $5 donation to the food bank. The menu includes choices such as tortilla soup, chicken fajitas, pork carnitas, and tres leches. Diners can upgrade to beef fajitas or add an order of queso for an additional charge.
Both Little’s Oyster Bar and Yiayia’s Greek Kitchen, the company’s fine dining seafood and Greek restaurants, are serving three-course, $65 menus that include an $8 donation to the Houston Food Bank. At Little’s, the menu includes options such as shrimp cocktail, clam chowder, Gulf grouper, Texas redfish, and flourless chocolate tort. At Yiayia’s, diners may select dolmades, eggplant dip, hummus, chicken souvlaki, pastitsio, and the signature baklava cheesecake.
Pappas Bros.’ menu costs a hefty $90 per person, but carnivores may choose from an eight-ounce filet, 14-ounce, dry-aged New York strip, or 16-ounce, dry-aged, Prime ribeye. The menu also includes a choice of salad or gumbo with key lime pie, cheesecake, or sorbet for dessert.
Even the company’s more casual restaurants are participating, with Pappas Bar-B-Q donating $1 from a $15 sandwich meal, Dot Coffee Shop donating for every $6 dessert sold, and Pappas Burger donating $1 for every milkshake sold.
"Giving back has always been part of who we are as a family, and we wanted to create a program that every Pappas brand could be part of," Pappas CMO Christina Pappas said in response to CultureMap’s request for comment about the new initiative. "Pappas Restaurant Weeks brings all of our concepts together to support local food banks in the communities we serve. With more than 80 restaurants across eight states and 10 brands, this gives us the opportunity to make an impact in every market where our guests and employees live and work. What I'm most excited about is that guests will be able to visit our website and watch the total raised grow each day. They'll be able to see the difference they're making just by dining with us."
As it has since 2016, Kenny & Ziggy’s is participating in this event that celebrates Jewish delicatessens in the U.S. and Canada. The restaurant’s three-course, $48 menu includes classic Jewish fare such as matzo ball soup, kishka, chopped chicken liver, Hungarian goulash, braised brisket, and Roumanian steaks. Entrees are paired with sides such as kasha varnishkas, noodle kugel, mashed potatoes, fries, and onion rings. Finish the meal with cheesecake, rugelach, or 7-layer cake.
Kenny & Ziggy’s will donate 10-percent of each meal sold to the Holocaust Museum Houston. In addition, each diners who orders the Deli Month menu will receive a ticket to Anne Frank: A History for Today, an exhibit developed by the Anne Frank House (Amsterdam) that will be on display at the museum from August 14 through January 31, 2027.
Dining for Venezuela at Pacha Nikkei
The West Houston restaurant is donating five percent of all food sales from August 1-31 to World Central Kitchen’s disaster relief efforts that are feeding people who suffered loses during the recent earthquake. Led by chef-owner Masaru Fukuda, the restaurant is known for ceviches, sushi rolls, and entrees such as lomo saltado and arroz con mariscos.
“This cause is especially meaningful to me because I have family living in Venezuela, and seeing the devastation has been heartbreaking,” Fukuda writes on Instagram “Venezuela has also shown so much love and support to Pacha Nikkei over the years, and we are incredibly grateful for all of our Venezuelan guests who have become part of our restaurant family. As chefs, we believe food has the power to bring people together—and in times like these, it can also bring hope.”
Ceviche clasico is a signature dish at Pacha Nikkei.
