Rochester Restaurants Rally to Save Lives Through ‘Fun and Friendly’ Competition

By In the Loop • January 30, 2020

From Feb. 3 to April 30, seven Rochester restaurants will participate in a competition designed to serve up as much lifesaving blood as possible for the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Program.

Blood and restaurants are two things that usually need to be kept far apart. But from Feb. 3 to April 30, 2020, seven Rochester restaurants are hoping to serve up as much blood as possible for the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Program. It's all part of this year's "Rally of the Restaurants" blood donation competition. And the best part is you get to help. 

How's that, you ask? By simply visiting one of two Blood Donor Center locations in Rochester and telling them you're there for "Rally of the Restaurants." Then let them know you want to donate on behalf of Team Chester's, Team Terza, Team Pescara, Team SMOAK, Team Five West, Team The Loop (we assume they named the place after us), or Team Newt's. The restaurant with the highest number of donation points will win both a plaque and bragging rights for having helped save the most lives through blood donation. And that, of course, is the whole point of the "fun and friendly" competition.

"The majority of our donated red blood cells and platelets are transfused into post-surgical patients at Mayo Clinic, and the cold winter months — especially around the holidays — are always a slow time for donations," Blood Donor Program Marketing and Recruitment Coordinator Lauren
Brown tells us. "It does take us a while to rebuild an adequate supply during and after the holidays."

Hence the timing of this winter's "Rally of the Restaurants" campaign, which Brown says was born out of the success of another of the Blood Donor Program's recent donation campaigns: Battle of the Badges. "Our initial idea for 'Rally of the Restaurants' came as we were discussing the success of 'Battle of the Badges,' Brown says. "We brainstormed other ways we could incorporate something similar with a different population in Rochester and that's how we decided on doing a restaurant-themed blood donation challenge."

Henry Clarin, general manager of Chester's Kitchen and Bar in downtown Rochester, says the decision for his restaurant group to roll up their sleeves was a no-brainer. "Chester's, Pescara and Terza are part of the local Rochester community," he says. "We have supported local efforts to help our friends and neighbors for over 10 years in Rochester, and we look forward to continuing our service to our community with our support through 'Rally of the Restaurants' and the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Program."

"Rally of the Restaurants" runs from Feb. 3 to April 30 and is open to anyone 16 or older who wants to donate blood on behalf of one of this year's competing restaurants. Donations can be made at one of two donation sites: The first floor of the Hilton Building or the main floor of the Joseph Building (Room M-86) in Rochester. For more information or questions about this year's competition, or about donating blood at Mayo Clinic in general, call 507-284-4475, email donateblood@mayo.edu, or visit www.mayoclinic.org/donateblood.

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