Everyone meet Landon, an awesome part of our Huey’s family.  Landon is a Huey’s mainstay, as he has been serving you up burgers and pouring your libations at our Collierville location for over five years.  You may also recognize his face if you have dined at our Southwind location, where he worked a few shifts for a span of time.  You can find him waiting tables during Saturday and Sunday lunches, as well as Thursday nights.  He is also behind the bar Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during the day.

Landon is a true Colliervillian.  He lives in Collierville and graduated from Collierville High School.  Yet, don’t be surprised if you see him venturing around different parts of the city.  He loves to hang out with friends and go to events all around Memphis and its surrounding areas.

We are proud of Landon and the many ways he helps his community.  He is an active participant in the many fundraisers we are a part of every year.  He has been a part of our Zoo Rendezvous team, planning and decorating our booth and serving drinks all night.  For several years now, he has walked the 5K and raised money for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk.  However, his favorite event is the Dragon Boat Races, where teams of people race dragon boats down the Wolf River while raising money for Tennessee Clean Water Network.

When he is not working and participating in fundraising, Landon plays in a local soccer league.  He enjoys spending his free time outdoors.

Landon’s favorite Huey’s burger is the Bluff City Burger, with the Smokey Melt coming in a close second.  No matter what burger he orders, he always adds bacon.  He says bacon completes every burger.

We are proud to be a part of this day again this year.  Here is how Huey’s is helping:

1. We are offering a free (nonalcoholic) beverage with a food purchase at our Downtown location all day.  Just be sure to wear your sticker to get the deal!
2. We are offering goodies in the tote bags you receive for participating.  Register so you can check out what swag we are offering!
3. We are registering.  A group of our employees plan on biking to work on May 18^th.  What about you?

As people become more aware of human trafficking in Memphis and those efforts to prohibit it, Operation Broken Silence  becomes more well-known across the city.  Operation Broken Silence is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization here in Memphis which seeks to end sex slavery in our city.  This organization’s mission statement says that they strive ”to protect the innocent by confronting social affliction and building a new generation of abolitionists who envision a world without mass atrocities and modern slavery.”  This fundraising is a large part of what they do, this group of individuals are more known for their activism.  They actively seek out new ways to fight this growing problem and then do it themselves.

We recently attended their spring fundraiser event, entitled SUPAS (Stand Up Against Slavery).  For a week, stand-up paddle boarders from across the world, including David Cornwaithe, came together to paddle down the Wolf River to raise awareness of human trafficking, it effects, and ways to help prevent it.  Memphians were encouraged to hop on a stand-up paddle board and join the trek themselves.  At the end of the week, a huge party was held to honor the paddlers and celebrate the fundraising for Operation Broken Silence.  Between the food from many local restaurants, beer from Ghost River, performances by artists including Star and Micey, and a great silent auction with signed Memphis sports gear, everyone has a great time.  Though this event happened locally, media efforts from across the world recognized it.  Huey’s was a proud sponsor of this event.

Operation Broken Silence works tirelessly on a daily basis, working with local, state, and federal governments, to fight human trafficking in Memphis.  To learn more about the organization and how you can help, visit their website, check out their Facebook page, or follow them on Twitter.

The idea for community gardens sprung up in 2001 by Ms. Alcine Arnett, as a way to reconnect older and younger generations in Orange Mound.  GrowMemphis was founded in 2007 with community gardening projects in Hollywood-Springdale and South Memphis joining the one in Orange Mound. Their mission is “to foster the creation of robust community food systems that eliminate hunger, promote health, and further social justice” (http://www.growmemphis.org/mission-vision-goals). GrowMemphis continues to grow every year, helping Memphis become a more sustainable community.

To learn more about GrowMemphis, visit their website.  Check out Bristerfest’s website as well, and get prepared a bigger and better festival next year.

We are proud to have won first place in the race again this year! Our team, which consisted of Dax Nichols, Alex Boggs, Chris Cook, Trey Hurst, Dereck Mayfield, and Neil Shelton, had the fastest time of all the teams and did not spill one drop of wine during the whole run. One top of that, we also took home first place in the Grape Stomping Contest as well, thanks to our stomper Dax Nichols!

Photo Credit to Commercial Appeal

This past Friday we gathered up our old, used equipment and unloaded a trailer and a half full to The Commercial Appeal’s e-cycling event.  At 9:00am, they already had a full parking lot, and we were happy to add more to it.  We dumped old phones, micros, computers, and much more.  This event, sponsored by both The Commercial Appeal and Downtown Memphis Commission, invited 5R Processors out for one day, to allow Memphis citizens to e-cycle all unwanted equipment.  As many  may not know, it is hazardous to simply trash technology like one would a used paper towel.  This is where companies, such as 5R Processors, come in handy. They are specifically designed to get rid of hazardous material safely.

If you missed this one-day event, have no fear.  There are other resources around town, where you can take your junk.  For example, used alkaline batteries can be dropped off at any Home Depot, Radio Shack, or Best Buy.  You can take all hazardous waste to Memphis’ permanent site in Bartlett on their designated days.  Also, check out 5R Processors and what they can do for you any time.  There are other similar companies to 5R Processors in the Memphis area as well.  In order to find the nearest recycling depot to your home, you can search Earth 911′s website.

If you have any more questions about what to do with your stuff, ask the Commercial Appeal Green Team on their Facebook page. They are very knowledgeable about these subjects.

We are proud to say we usually provide the most servers for the event.  This is an organization that many of our employees feel a connection with and jump at the chance to help.

BGCM provides after-school programs for children between the ages of 6 and 18, in five key areas: character and leadership development, education and career development, career and life skills, the arts, and sports and fitness.  Each year they serve over 11,000 youth around city, providing guidance and leadership to guide these children in the direction that will help them lead fuller and successful lives.  They teach children productivity and how to make wise choices. Of all the children that go through this program, 99.6% graduate from high school.  68% of those attended their Freshman year of college on scholarship. For more  information on BGCM and Steak and Burger Night, visit their website.

Senator Gaylord Nelson is the original founder of Earth Day, which was first celebrated in the 1960s. Here are his own words about its origins:

 For several years, it had been troubling me that the state of our environment was simply a non-issue in the politics of the country. Finally, in November 1962, an idea occurred to me that was, I thought, a virtual cinch to put the environment into the political “limelight” once and for all. The idea was to persuade President Kennedy to give visibility to this issue by going on a national conservation tour. I flew to Washington to discuss the proposal with Attorney General Robert Kennedy, who liked the idea. So did the President. The President began his five-day, eleven-state conservation tour in September 1963.

Earth Day is coming up this weekend, and Shelby Farms has a lot going on to celebrate the occasion.  Whether you run in the 5k or hang out at the festival, there is something for everyone to do.  This year, we will have a booth, where kids can get in some toothpick shooting practice, shooting our signature frill picks into a target.  We will also be selling water and snacks, while donating all of the money made back to the Shelby Park Farms Conservancy.

The Shelby Park Farms Conservancy is a non-profit organization that seeks to improve, beautify, and maintain Shelby Park Farms.  They also hold great events every year to raise awareness of environmental issues, such as Earth Day.  They are also the legwork behind the Shelby Farms Greenline.  This organization does a lot.  They also receive absolutely no government funding, which means they rely solely on members, visitors, and donors.  To learn more about Shelby Park Farms Conservancy and how you can help out, visit their website.

After several other positions at Midway, Kroger’s seafood department, and Bilbo’s, he finally settled in with us here.  He loves all of the people he works with, and says they are all “good people”.

When he is not at work, he loves playing golf.  He is also a deacon at the Church of Christ on Elvis Presley Blvd and Holmes.  Mr. Freddie loves to share about his vacations and the time he spends on his land in Senatobia, MS.  He often talks about how much he loves his wife, Louise. He has 8 kids and 30 grandkids.

Mr. Freddie retired last month to spend more time with his wife and her work, and he is missed by all of us!  We wish him the best of luck and a lot of leisure in his future.

We love the Girl Scouts of America and their delectable treats.  We host them outside of our restaurants, and we even participate in their local Memphis fundraiser every year.  Every March, they invite local restaurants to adapt their cookies into a signature dessert.  This year, we have chosen to take their Thin Mints and make it into a Chocolate Coffee Thin Mint Sliders, topped with fresh mint leaves and black cherries.  Yum!  The dessert was a hit, and everyone seemed to love it.  We were excited to have our desserts featured with so many other great restaurants, such as Half Shell, Interim, Circa, and Gigi’s Cupcakes.

Did you know that this year the Girl Scouts of America are celebrating their 100^th anniversary?  Juliette Gordon Lowe founded this organization on March 12, 1912 in Savannah, GA.  She wanted to bring young women out of their homes, introduce them to community service, and help them grow “physically, mentally, and spiritually.”  The first troop only had 18 members, but now the organization has over 3.2 million members.  They have grown quite a bit!

To learn more about the Girl Scouts of America, visit their website.