Like most Texans, Patrick and Kathy Terry spent July 4 of this year slowly realizing the catastrophic extent of the tragic floods in the Hill Country. The couple’s own daughter was away at summer camp in North Carolina, making it heartbreakingly easy to put themselves in the shoes of so many grief-stricken parents. Four days later, Patrick took to P. Terry’s social media to announce that all 36 locations would host a fundraising day on July 10 to donate 100% of profits to Austin Disaster Relief Network.
“We’re hoping as a P. Terry’s family that a small gesture can make a difference,” Patrick said. “When we come together with these small gestures, maybe something big will happen.”
Those words proved prescient, as Central Texans showed up in droves, waiting in line for hours at locations throughout Austin, Houston, and San Antonio to pick up burgers, fries, and shakes. The collective effort raised $150,000 in a single day. Patrick himself rolled up the sleeves of his blue Oxford shirt and got to work in the kitchen at the Parmer Lane location, and by 11 p.m. all stores stopped service due to running out of food.
While the money generated marks P. Terry’s’ largest single-day sum ever for a fundraiser, charitable giving is nothing new to the company. Four times each year, Patrick and Kathy host a “Giving Back Day,” during which all proceeds from a busy Saturday are donated to a particular cause. In total, the burger franchise has donated more than $2.4 million dollars and counting.
“So much of the culture of the company is based on giving back and wanting to be a part of the community—and that’s Kathy’s idea,” Patrick says, crediting his wife with instilling the values that drive the business.
In fact, P. Terry’s had just hosted one of its scheduled fundraising days in June and wasn’t scheduled for another charitable event for months, but the team leapt into action to provide aid to flood victims. While the public took notice of the statewide fundraising effort, many were likely unaware that the harrowing events coincided with the exact week of the burger joint’s 20th anniversary—a milestone that passed quietly as the company kept the focus on community service efforts.
That sort of selflessness underscores the values of Patrick, Kathy, and the business they’ve built. The restaurant chain has shown up in smaller ways this year, too. Namely, the franchise’s recurring $2 egg burger day, which was an initiative Patrick implemented in the face of inflation. Rather than simply raise prices, P. Terry’s took an opposite approach and extended open arms to a community worried about feeding their families.
“The first couple of years that we were open, Kathy and I spent so much time at store No. 1,” he says. “Not only did we understand where our employees were coming from and how their lives were, we learned who our customers were, and we learned the ups and downs of our customers.”
Listening to Patrick talk tran-sports you to a bygone era of human decency and neighborly concord. With his silver hair and reassuring tone and Kathy’s warm smile, the couple exudes a familial warmth that makes them feel like everyone’s grandparents. The entire inspiration behind P. Terry’s—from its no-frills menu to the iconic retro color scheme of the burger stands—comes from a desire to capture the simple pleasure Patrick took in sharing a meal with his family at their favorite burger joint in Abilene.
“Patrick was trying to create a memory,” Kathy explains. “Not just about the food, but something quintessential about an experience that you’re always going to remember.” The couple has done just that by being responsive to the community in a way few businesses are, from charitable donations to reasonably priced food. They’re involved in every step of the process and insist on high-quality ingredients. But all of that is driven by a central ethos.
“We’re in the human connection business,” Patrick says. “We just happen to sell really good burgers.”
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Great Job Bryan C. Parker & the Team @ Austin Monthly Magazine Source link for sharing this story.
