The pandemic was hard on everyone. With restaurants recovering, locally owned Ling’s Wok Shop, the latest flex-casual dining concept from the team behind Ling and Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill, is excited to give back to the community with the launch of its Cooking for a Cause program.
Each month Ling’s Wok Shop will feature a special, chef-inspired dish where $5 of each order sold will benefit a designated charity. The program launches in March with a Spicy Thai Basil Chicken entrée benefiting Child Crisis Arizona, an organization that works on behalf of foster children and families. Guests who prefer another dish are also encouraged to participate and are able to leave a donation of their choice to the designated charity.
“Having grown up here and raising a family here compels me to do everything I can to give back to this community,” said John Banquil, Jr., owner of Ling’s Wok Shop. “Reflecting on the past two years and how fortunate we’ve been to come out profitable and, in many ways, more successful than we were before, I feel that giving back to these non-profits is the least we can do.”
During the height of the pandemic, while Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill couldn’t support non-profits with monetary donations, the restaurant was still giving back and supporting the Phoenix community.
“We provided meals for Honor Health and Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale Fire Department, Boys & Girls Club of Metro Phoenix, and Child Crisis AZ,” said Banquil. “As a restaurant that was already receiving the support of the community, the best thing we could do to show our appreciation was to funnel that same support to local charities. One of our core values is centered around our commitment to giving back to our community and being able to do so amid one of the greatest crises we’ve seen was of the utmost importance to me.”
“John Banquil has a HUGE heart. I have known John for nearly ten years and throughout all that time he has always been philanthropic,” said Justin Duran, Director of Development at Child Crisis Arizona. “John has always stepped up to help through donations of food, gift certificates to help families in need and providing auction items to help non-profit organizations. I am proud to not only know John and to work with him through community events, but to call him a friend!”
