MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes Franchisee Takes Care of the Community During Louisiana Flooding

On what seemed like an ordinary Friday in August, Chuck Kerr left home and headed to his MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes* location at 6:30 a.m. Weather reports warned of floods in Baton Rouge, but the franchisee had no idea how drastically the tide would change in a matter of hours. By lunchtime there was no way home; hundreds of feet of water ran rampant through the neighborhood, and his wife used their boat to seek refuge at the local Celtic Center.

That Sunday was the beginning of this year’s historic Louisiana floods, which displaced thousands of residents from submerged homes and businesses. Kerr’s role in the flood was one some might consider heroic, though he is far too humble to admit it.

After witnessing the conditions at the Celtic Center, Kerr returned to MOOYAH and made 100 burgers, which he said went like hotcakes. Aside from his contribution, refugees were provided with noodles with tomato sauce and ham or bologna sandwiches.

“I looked around, and everyone was hungry,” said Kerr. “I knew I could donate about 10 cases of beef so we could at least make some meat sauce. People needed protein, and that could go a long way.”

All it took was a quick phone call with MOOYAH’s corporate team and the other nearby franchisees, and 10 cases turned into 160. Kerr’s peers in Gonzales, Metairie and New Orleans, who were unaffected by the flooding, did not hesitate to help out, and he explains why it was an easy decision for them.

“Everyone at MOOYAH appreciates where we earn our living from – the community. They support us 365 days a year, and when they need the support we do everything we can to give back.”

The cases of beef were delivered to various churches and retail spaces where residents sought dry shelter; nearly 75 percent of locals lost their homes. In addition to the deliveries, Kerr went back to his restaurant day after day before business hours, made 50-60 burgers and passed them out in the streets until he ran out.

His compassion didn’t stop there.

Four of Kerr’s employees lost everything and couldn’t make their shifts that week, but he still paid them for a full 80 hours each.

Two weeks after the floods had passed, Kerr advised his staff that first responders receive their meals free of charge, and that nobody leaves hungry, which enabled people to just pay what they could.

It’s evident that Kerr is an upstanding member of his Baton Rouge community, but he credits it to anyone but himself. He’s inspired by those around him every day and makes it a priority to do right by his restaurant guests.

“My philosophy, as well as MOOYAH’s, is stressing the importance of treating the entire community as if they’re neighbors next door."