For Immediate
Release
August 31, 2005
New Orleans style restaurant reaches out to victims impacted by Hurricane Katrina
Po’ Boys Creole Café launches company-wide fundraiser to raise money for hurricane relief.
Tallahassee, Fl ─ When Charlie Youngs found himself unemployed in 1990,
the out-of-work construction engineer decided he could make a better
living serving up po’ boy sandwiches and gumbo.
The Louisiana native dreamed of opening a chain of po’ boy shops
in Florida that would serve some of the same Creole and Cajun
delicacies that he had grown up eating at home in an atmosphere that
was distinctly New Orleans.
Fifteen years later, Youngs’ idea has blossomed into a state-wide chain of Creole restaurants known as Po’ Boys Creole Café.
But the town that served as an inspiration for the successful
restaurant chain now owned by Youngs, Jon Sweede and Carmen Calabrese
is in ruins destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
“What we represent as a company is now in total devastation,” Youngs
said. “Thousands of people have been displaced. I have relatives that
have been displaced. They don’t know when they’ll be able to go back.
We need to do whatever we can to help them.”
In an effort to aid victims in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, Po’
Boys in downtown Tallahassee will hold a fundraising event during their
Florida State vs. Miami football game block party. College Avenue will
be closed from 3 to 10 p.m. Sunday. The event will feature three live
bands and food and drink specials. Admission to the event is $3.
Po’ Boys will match donations American Red Cross volunteers collect for hurricane victims at the event up to $5,000.
A company-wide hurricane relief fundraiser also will take place
Wednesday, Sept. 7 at Po’ Boys restaurants in Tallahassee, Gainesville,
Tampa and Brandon. The five locations will donate a portion of their
sales that day to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Red
Cross volunteers also will be collecting monetary donations at each Po’
Boys restaurant on Wednesday.
An estimated 80 percent of the city's 485,000 residents fled the city
before Katrina struck. Almost 80 percent of New Orleans was inundated
with water, up to 20 feet deep in places, with miles and miles of homes
swamped following the hurricane.
“All those photos of Louisiana landmarks on our restaurant walls are
all under water,” Youngs said. “That town might never look like those
pictures again.”
Jon Sweede, corporate owner of Po’ Boys Creole Café, said the average
sales on a Wednesday at both Tallahassee restaurants are about $3,500.
Both plan to donate 30 percent of sales to hurricane relief.
Po’ Boys Downtown Tallahassee is located at 224 E. College Ave., one
block east of Monroe Street. Their other location is on 1944 W.
Pensacola St. a half mile from the stadium.
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Media Contact
Krista Zilizi
706-627-3204
407-936-1010
kzilizi@quantifiedmarketing.com
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