Giving back

Brandon Stewart and Tasos and Beba Touloupis help the community during COVID-19

It’s nothing new for Birmingham businesses, including restaurants, to give back to the community.

But such efforts became even more important in spring 2020 with the coming of COVID-19 and the economic uncertainty it created.

Two local food operations have made charitable efforts around the area, even as their own businesses were affected by the pandemic: Brandon Stewart, a young entrepreneur who is a Jimmy John’s franchisee in Birmingham and the owner of Starboard Investments, and the husband-and-wife team of Tasos and Beba Touloupis, the owners of Ted’s Restaurant, a Birmingham institution.

Both businesses have helped support a variety of good causes, and they both were active in 2020 in responding to COVID-19.

PAY IT FORWARD

Stewart is not a Birmingham native but has adopted the city as his home since moving here in 2010 to open his first Jimmy John’s location.

“My wife and I thought Birmingham would be a great city to settle down and raise a family,” Stewart told Iron City Ink.

He now has 10 Jimmy John’s franchises in the Birmingham area.

In the wake of COVID-19, Stewart founded a nonprofit called Pay It Forward Alabama (PFA). He started the campaign as a way to raise money and provide meals for healthcare workers in Alabama communities.

“They were going through hell on so many fronts when this thing started,” Stewart said. “They were also some of our only customers. I felt like we needed to do something and didn’t need to make a profit. We needed to support them.”

However, since its inception, PFA has expanded its focus.

Over the last year, Stewart — along with PFA — has raised more than $10,000 for Alabama healthcare workers in Alabama, but also $4,000 for the Birmingham Zoo, which has struggled to cover its costs.

He also partnered the Phoenix Club of Birmingham to raise funds for the Boys & Girls Club of Central Alabama.

These charitable impulses are nothing new for Stewart. “I have always been charitable through giving time, and I feel it’s important to help others,” he said.

But his experiences in business have sharpened this philanthropic focus.

Jimmy John’s really opened my eyes to the struggles that my employees went through on a daily basis,” Stewart said. “I immediately felt like I could do more for them than just run a business. I could help a lot of people by donating time and sharing knowledge I have gained through my career.”

Starting PFA helped Stewart deal with the depressing reality of the pandemic.

“I was in a dark place when COVID struck,” he said. “We had no idea what was next, and in a sense, you could say I had given up on the business side of things. In that time of desperation, PFA was a light for our team. It gave me new purpose and drive, which was very much needed at the time.”

‘INCREDIBLY BLESSED’

Tasos and Beba Touloupis, who bought Ted’s Restaurant from the Sarris family in May 2000, have long donated their time and resources to local causes.

These include Cornerstone Schools of Alabama; Ronald McDonald House; Susan G. Komen Chefs for the Cure, an annual event that raises money to fight breast cancer; and The Wellhouse, an organization that provides support for female victims of sexual trafficking.

“We have been incredibly blessed with the opportunity that Ted’s has given us over the years,” the couple told Iron City Ink in an email.

“It is important to give back to a community that has given so much,” they said.

The couple supports many organizations that help children and families.

“Family is very important to us,” they said. “We look for organizations that help those under-represented or forgotten.”

However, as the pandemic took hold, Ted’s provided meals to frontline healthcare workers at UAB Hospital.

“Last spring, after we were shut down due to COVID-19, we were fortunate to take part in this program,” the couple said. “Not only were we able to provide a warm meal to our frontline workers, but the income helped us stay open. Our business was down 75% and this income helped us pay employees and maintain a presence in the community.”

In 2020, the restaurant also donated a portion of its proceeds to AIDS Alabama and partnered with the Vestavia Hills Rotary Club to raise funds for the local school system.

They made these efforts even while working long hours to sustain their own restaurant operation.

“With our giving, we have been able to meet so many people and causes that are very important to us,” the couple said. “We believe more can be accomplished together than apart.”