Nowadays most dining customers are used to spending up to $10 to ensure the highest quality water while enjoying a meal, but there are two local restaurants Four Food Studio Group in Melville and their new sister restaurant, Two Steak and Sushi Den in New Hyde Park that bottle their own water for charity. Each bottle is $2 and the entire proceeds are donated.
Many may know Four Food Studio, for its ever changing seasonality and its great party vibes, which has stood out on Route 110, in Melville for the last four years. Prior to opening their second restaurant, Two Steak and Sushi Den, owners Ray Sidhom and Jay Grossman came up with this unique water program to push their going green concept and also for a charitable cause.
Grossman said, “We wanted to go against the grain and tackle the sparkling, flat water shakedown which has taken over today.”
The owners purchased and installed a carbonized, filtration system that filters the water by removing all impurities and also produces three different types of water; sparkling, chilled flat and room temperature flat.
The next step was making specific bottles for the water and marking them with the clever and witty title, “H2O- Help Two Others.”
When asked how they came up with the name, Grossman said, “That was easy, any good campaign needs a brand and we wanted to put a play on the water and our name as well.”
The bottles are reusable which ties in to the going green part of the program.
The proceeds go to different local charities quarterly and since opening they have started with two children’s hospitals. The first was St. Mary’s Children Hospital, which owner Sidhom has worked with in the past with his other businesses.
The other, Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York, formerly known as Schneider Children’s Hospital in New Hyde Park, is known for its great works throughout Long Island and is near the Two Steak and Sushi Den location.
This is nothing new for the Four Food Studio Group, as they have been involved in many charitable works over the years of their existence. According to Grossman, they have done work with Breast Cancer Awareness, Going Red for Women, which increases awareness of heart disease and strokes for women.
Dining in the Dark was also another charitable movement that this group came up with. This was a six-course meal that was eaten blindfolded and the proceeds went to the Guide Dog Foundation, which provides guide dogs to blind people at no cost.
“The staff and the guests understand the importance and the value of giving a helping hand,” said Grossman in response to getting feedback from staff and guests.
He also added that, “In this challenging time and economy, it is important to help, especially if you are in the position to do so.”
This is the mindset of the Four Food Studio Group and it goes to show that in a time when businesses are not doing that great, some still feel the need to take the initiative to give “help two others.”
The giving doesn’t stop there though, Grossman is also on the Board of Directors of the upcoming Hospitality March, where up to 50 of Long Island restaurant owners will be involved in raising money for the American Cancer Society.
