Piccadilly a finalist for National Neighbor Award

Who knew the $1 paper sneakers strung around Piccadilly cafeterias would raise so much money for charity? The popular spot for post-church Sunday lunch brought new meaning to the phrase “Serve you?” when they raised $660,000 last year for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation by selling the colorful sneakers and participating in an employee walk. It caught the attention of the National Restaurant Association, which selected the local chain as a state finalist for the 2009 Restaurant Neighbor Award and Cornerstone Humanitarian Award. Piccadilly was the only Baton Rouge restaurant; the four others, including Galatoire’s, are in the Greater New Orleans area. The five national winners will be announced at a dinner Sept. 13 in Washington, D.C., and $5,000 will go toward their charitable efforts.—Rebecca Breeden