Over $100K Raised To Support Furloughed Musso & Frank Employees
HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA) — Loyal patrons of Hollywood's famed Musso & Frank Grill have donated more than $100,000 to help the still-shuttered restaurant's employees during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the owners announced Monday.
Thank You!The entire team and family here at The Musso & Frank Grill would like to thank you for your love and support of the Musso Employee Relief Fund. 100% of your donations are going directly to the employees while the family owners continue to pay for health benefits during these COVID-19 shutdowns. We will keep the fund active for the duration of the COVID-19 disaster declaration. Thank You!
Posted by Musso & Frank Grill on Monday, January 18, 2021
The owners of Hollywood's oldest restaurant set up the Musso & Frank Employee Relief Fund in December with a stated goal of $100,000 to help the company's 84 furloughed employees.
As of Monday afternoon, the GoFundMe page had raised $100,626.
The restaurant's CFO/COO Mark Echeverria, a fourth-generation member of the family of owners, said all of the money was going directly to the employees to help cover their costs of living. The company was continuing to provide health insurance benefits for all employees.
"So many friends, longtime patrons, and members of our extended Musso family reached out to us without prompting, inquiring as to how they might go about making a charitable contribution to the welfare of our employees," he said. "We were touched by these acts of generosity.
"Knowing that dozens of longtime and new patrons were willing to demonstrate their support for our employees warmed our hearts," he continued. "Everyone really came through for the Musso team and helped us achieve our $100,000 goal."
The company has also said that 25% of all retail sales generated by the purchase of the restaurant's online merchandise — which includes Musso & Frank-branded face coverings, cuff links, gift cards and an award-winning book detailing the restaurant's history — will also go into the employee fund.
Echeverria said the entire team remained focused on overcoming the challenges created by the pandemic and was looking optimistically to the future.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)