BigOakTavern: Hero Meals for Front Line Workers

Nate Armstrong of Roswell’s Big Oak Tavern is partnering with local hospitals, county CEO’s and the community at large to help in feeding COVID testing site, vaccination and hospital frontline workers.

 

In November 2019, Nate Armstrong left his corporate sales job with Sysco to pursue his passion and dream of opening his own restaurant. While Nate had worked in almost every capacity in the restaurant industry (Stoney River General Manager-Duluth, Executive Chef, Line Cook) he had recently made the transition to sales to ensure a better work life balance for him and his family, a welcomed change. After much discussion and consideration Nate and his family made the decision to purchase the restaurant and set roots for the Big Oak Tavern in Historic Roswell, GA. In February 2020, the Big Oak Tavern had it’s grand opening closely followed by the state mandated restaurant shut down in March.

 

While the restaurant and hospitality industries have been hit with the brunt of the COVID struggles, it pales in comparison to the struggles of the front lines workers managing testing sites and providing bedside care in hospitals. A struggle that Nate recognized and has made an aim to impact. In 2020, at the height of the first wave of COVID Nate leveraged Big Oak Tavern to lead multiple community initiatives.

-School Meal Program: Restaurant led initiative that focused on feeding over 1250 children that were without food due to mandatory shelter in place orders

-Community Blood Drive: Organized a community blood drive in partnership with Carl Black dealership, that was helped in collecting over 127 pints of blood

-Hero Meals: Through community donations, Big Oak Tavern was able to feed over 9 COVID ICU floors (600 front line staff) and 2 Fire Departments

 

Nate’s unyielding dedication and tireless efforts to meet community needs has garnered much attention from various media outlets including Katie Couric, Fox 5 Atlanta, Food Network, GA Lottery, Atlanta EATS and Ebony Magazine. Additionally, the Big Oak Tavern was voted Georgia Business Journal’s ‘Best of GA Regional Winner’ for 2021.

 

With the recent uptick in COVID cases Nate has decided to take his Hero Meals to the next level and work in partnership with Hospital and County CEO’s to get meals to those most impacted on the frontlines. Through community donations, Nate intends on using proceeds to help in feeding these clinical resources tirelessly managing COVID and retaining Big Oak Tavern staff who will be negatively impacted financially by the shift to TO GO only. Our aim is to surpass efforts from 2000-2021! This is needed now more than ever as we know that these resources are at capacity and stretched thin.

 

Please consider partnering with Nate and The Big Oak Tavern to feed our Front Lines Workers. Your support would mean the world to him and those tirelessly managing COVID response in our community. 

Tax Deductible Donations:
We’re excited to announce we have teamed up with Senator John Albers and the 2nd-Alarm Foundation where you can make a tax-deductible donation directly to the Second Alarm Foundations at  www.2nd-alarm.com

 and 100% of your donation will go to the Big Oak Hero Meals program and feeding our local frontline Heroes!

 

Thank you for your time and consideration.

 

Kindest regards,

Nate Armstrong

Big Oak Tavern Owner

www.bigoaktavern.com