A new DQ Grill & Chill® location recently opened at 8307 State Road 64 in Bradenton, Florida. But this restaurant is going to do more than serve up a tasty menu of meals and treats. It will give all of its profits to Lakeview Associated Enterprises, an affiliate of Baptist Health Care’s Pensacola-based Lakeview Center.
Run by local franchisee Tra Williams, who is also the COO of the Lakeview Center, the restaurant's profits help offset a dependence on government funding for mental illness, which the Lakeview Center supports.
“The mission of helping people overcome life’s challenges sounds ambiguous, but when you meet some of the people we serve you think, ‘Gosh, you know I’ve never been challenged in that way,’” Williams told the Bradenton Herald. “I feel an obligation to help those who have and those who weren’t afforded the blessings that you and I have.”
The choice to work with Williams and Lakeview Center was a natural fit for the brand, Vice President of Franchise Sales and Development Mike Mettler told the Herald.
“What’s in it for Dairy Queen® is working with a great group that’s aligned with the same values as the company; of giving back like our work with the Children’s Miracle Network,” Mettler said.
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