A north-east burger restaurant celebrated its first birthday yesterday by re-affirming its commitment to serve up all of its annual profits to charity.
The ARCHIE Foundation, the official charity of the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital (RACH), will be among those to benefit.
The Boozy Cow, owned by businessman and philanthropist Garreth Wood, first opened its doors a year ago yesterday above the Illicit Still pub in the city centre.
The restaurant has been so successful that a second branch has already opened up in Edinburgh, with two more expected to open in Dundee and Stirling next year.
And now Mr Wood and his enterprise, the Speratus Group, predict that over the next three years the Boozy Cow franchise could raise up to £1million for various charities, with the ARCHIE Foundationto split the Aberdeen bar’s profits with north-east volunteering charity VSA.
Mr Wood, son of oil tycoon Sir Ian, said: “We set out a year ago to see if people would be interested in this kind of burger bar.
“We found this overwhelmingly positive reaction, so much so that we opened up another one in Edinburgh this April, and we’re preparing to open two more in Dundee and Stirling.
“But our biggest ambition for the longest time was to use our bars and restaurants as a means of raising money for charities like ARCHIE.”
As well as donating half of the Aberdeen profits to ARCHIE, Mr Wood and the staff of the Boozy Cow will also be spending time at the RACH meeting the children and families that will benefit directly from their charity.
Mr Wood added: “The work that goes on behind the closed doors by all of the unsung heroes within the charities and RACH is remarkable.
“Understanding the individuals and families personal struggles, and the carers and nursing teams who provide a level of care and support that is invaluable, provides context to the importance of fundraising and supporting these charities.”
The annual cash injection from the Boozy Cow will allow the ARCHIE Foundation to continue to provide support and care to children and their families from all across the north of Scotland, from Aberdeen, to Inverness, and even as far north as Shetland and Orkney.