Bronx House Pizza is big on portions — but when it comes to giving back, a portion simply won’t do.
The popular pizza-and-pasta emporium donated 100% of the $8,800 raised during a fundraiser Tuesday night at its bustling Palencia location.
The event sold out so quickly that the restaurant had to turn away would-be diners.
The latest installment of the burgeoning restaurant brand’s “Supper Club Series” benefited St. Francis House and Port in the Storm, two St. Augustine programs serving people experiencing homelessness.
Bronx House’s vaunted culinary team pulled out all the stops for the packed house, serving an elaborate six-course tasting menu designed to take diners on a culinary trip around the world.
“We sold out like that,” founder Bruno DiFabio said. “Everybody came out and supported, and the people loved it.”
DiFabio and several of his partners were exhausted but elated as they celebrated the evening’s success. The event took weeks of planning and close coordination with St. Francis House, he said.
Organizers celebrated the evening’s success. (Facebook)
Bronx House Pizza founders Bruno DiFabio and Mike Bennici have grown the brand from its first Ormond Beach location in 2019 to 14 restaurants across Northeast Florida.
And the giving didn’t stop after the final plates were cleared.
Around 10 p.m., the Bronx House team packed up the remaining food and delivered it directly to St. Francis House along with the money raised.
DiFabio said the Supper Club series is intended not only to support local causes but also to challenge other businesses to step up.
“We’re really laying down the gauntlet and challenging other people to come out and do this because it’s such a great cause and it’s so worth it,” a staffer said. “Filling somebody else’s cup is why we do this.”
St. Francis House and Port in the Storm are operated by the nonprofit St. Augustine Society.
St. Francis House provides emergency shelter and services to adults and families experiencing homelessness, while Port in the Storm serves homeless and unaccompanied young adults ages 18 to 24.
Its services include emergency shelter, meals, life-skills and job-readiness training, and help securing permanent housing.
“$8,800 — that’s nothing to shake a stick at,” DiFabio said.