New D.C. Bar & Restaurant Pledges To Donate 100 Percent Of Profits To Charity, Coins The Word "PhilanthroPub"

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Opening its doors to the public tonight, CAUSE is proud to provide Washington D.C. area residents and visitors with a truly unique, one-of-a-kind venue, called a "PhilanthroPub."  CAUSE, the PhilanthroPub, offers restaurant-goers a revolutionary new dining experience by enabling patrons to "give" to charities simply by eating or drinking at CAUSE.  Every three months, 100 percent of the profits generated by CAUSE will be given to designated charitable organizations doing great things to help those in need, locally and abroad.

The restaurant and bar will open at 8:00 p.m. tonight and continue with regular business hours tomorrow, October 25^th from 4:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. CAUSE is the new exciting concept co-created by longtime friends Raj Ratwani and Nick Vilelle. CAUSE will serve as an ideal place for dinner or simply a drink at the bar. 

"The opening of CAUSE is the result of years of dedication and many hours of hard work. We are so thankful to those who believed in the spirit of our idea and who offered their time, resources and support as we turned a dream into reality," said Nick Vilelle, co-founder. "We want to help residents give back to their community in a fun, easy way, and we are thrilled to be opening our doors to the public for the first time, tonight."

The Venue
The renovated property spans two floors of a townhouse style building in the U-Street Corridor of D.C.  The first floor features a small bar and several tables, while the upstairs level has a larger bar and more tavern-style seating. Bar stools and tables were created from recycled or re-purposed materials including apple barrels, fallen trees and old church pews donated by Community Forklift.  The walls are decorated with paintings of social innovators—Harvey Milk, Eva Peron, Sojourner Truth, Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi— created by Life Pieces to Masterpieces, a local nonprofit organization.  Upstairs, patrons will spot a large mosaic of 1,200 glass bottles spelling out C-A-U-S-E which was handcrafted by local artist Katie Dean.

The Charities
CAUSE will feature three to six local and/or international organizations per quarter to support through monetary donations resulting from business operating profits.  Adhering to the true definition of a "PhilanthroPub," after the bills are paid and all operating expenses covered, CAUSE will take its profits and donate that money to the predetermined featured organizations. The four charities featured in the first quarter (Opening – January 2013) include:

• Martha's Table: An organization that engages the community in developing sustainable solutions to poverty by helping with education, nutrition, clothing and family support programs. (Washington, D.C.)
• Common Good City Farm: An urban farm and education center growing food with and for low-income residents in Washington, D.C. (Washington, D.C.) 
• Higher Achievement: A center that provides rigorous after school and summer academic programs to close the opportunity gaps for middle school youth in at-risk communities.  (Greater Washington, D.C. area; Richmond, VA; and Pittsburgh, PA)
• Agora Partnerships: An organization aiming to scale the growth of early-stage companies throughout Latin America that are helping solve critical problems in the community. (Washington, D.C. and Managua, Nicaragua)

The Menu
Queen Vic chef and Northern Virginia native, Adam Stein runs the kitchen as the Executive Chef for CAUSE.  Chef Stein will focus on utilizing local, seasonal and sustainable foods. The menu will feature an extensive list of daily specials that will allow Chef Stein to deliver unique food to CAUSE patrons.  Click here for a sneak peek at the menu.

"We love that people are intrigued by the 'PhilanthroPub' concept, but ultimately, we think we have created a fantastic bar and restaurant with top-tier food, service and drinks.  The fact that all profits will go to charity is just icing on the cake," says Raj Ratwani, co-founder.

Stay in the Loop

• For more information, visit www.causedc.org.
• Find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/CauseDC.
• Follow us live on Twitter @CauseDC
• Contact the CAUSE team at (202) 499-9971 or email [email protected].

About CAUSE, The PhilanthroPub
CAUSE, owned and operated by Cause Operations, LLC, is the first-ever "PhilanthroPub" located in the U-Street Corridor neighborhood of Washington, D.C. CAUSE was established in February, 2012, as a full service restaurant and bar based on a revolutionary business model where all of the net profits are donated to designated charitable organizations. CAUSE is located at 1926 9^th St N.W. and is open for business from 4:00 p.m. until 1:30 a.m. Sunday – Thursday, and 4:00 p.m. until 2:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Additional information about the restaurant can be viewed at www.causedc.org.

Media Contacts:
Cindy Rahman
(703) 283-8499
[email protected]

Nick Vilelle
(202) 499-9971
[email protected]

SOURCE CAUSE