Frato's Pizza donates wing winnings back to charity
After winning the "Best of the 'Burbs" award in Sunday's charity Wingfest for the Woodfield Area Children's Organization, Frato's Pizza of Schaumburg went the extra mile by donating its $250 cash prize back to the agency dedicated to helping needy children in the area.
WACO Vice President Geri McCall-Barrath said the organization was moved by the generosity of Frato's.
"This is the first time we've had a cash prize," McCall-Barrath said. "We created it as an incentive for restaurants to join. We're thrilled obviously! It would be great if it became a precedent, but we're not expecting it to. We were surprised."
Frato's President Michael Kudrna said the possibility of such a gesture was always at the back of his mind, but he stayed silent before the contest as caution against overconfidence.
"Everyone at Frato's takes events like this very seriously, so I didn't want to set us up for disappointment despite being very confident in what we offer," he said. "After the event, everyone at Frato's agreed that we should donate it back to help the cause."
Despite the significant expense a small business incurs by volunteering product and staff time for an all-you-can-eat wings fundraiser, Kudrna said there was never much incentive to try to make it up through the cash prize.
"If you can afford to return the cash prize to help someone else, it's the selfless choice to make and that's how many of us were raised," he said. "It helps build a stronger community. Schaumburg is a great community with great leadership and we're happy to do our part to try and make it better."