This and That About Neckties

There’s no better feeling than loving what you do for a living. Just about nothing like looking forward to going to work every day because you work with a great group of people. Combine that with working for a company which decides to run a program to raise money for charity, and you’ve got a winning combination!

That is what happened to my friend Briana. Briana was a waitress at the Macaroni Grill some years back. Actually she helped open quite a few of their restaurants. One location in particular in California was one of the best employment experiences she has ever had.

All the stars must have been lined up just right, because everyone, the hosts, waiters, waitresses, bus people, cashiers and management got along famously. In fact all of the employees got along so well, they began to do things together outside of work, such as bowling and going to the movies. Once a month they would go out and have fun. It was a great bonding experience.

Back at the Macaroni Grill, as Briana recalls, it was either people at corporate or the management at the local location which came up with the idea to auction off men’s neckties to customers as a way to raise money for their charity of choice.

Each employee was given a black or white tie, some fabric paint, glue and sparkles and asked to create a design all their own. Briana and her friends went all out with funky color combinations and designs to create some pretty memorable ties. It was great fun doing something different during their off hours. When the project was complete, every one wore their own creation during restaurant hours. Each waiter would point out their tie to the customers they were waiting on, inquiring if they were interested in bidding for it for a good cause. Bids started at $5 dollars. As soon as an auction started, the waiter would move to another table to see if his other customers were interested in participating, and the bidding wars would begin! Most of the time the hand painted men’s ties would sell for $5 to $15 dollars although one lucky family paid over $40 for theirs.

The program at the Macaroni Grill ran for a month and generated several hundred dollars for charity. It was a marvelous marketing idea. With staff and customers already interacting with one another in the traditional way, the auction of unique men’s ties was a new and exciting bonding experience. More importantly, it got the staff and local community involved for a good cause. Everybody became an active participant. The staff got yet another chance to do something fun together (and at work at that!), the restaurant generated some money for charity, and the customers went home with some funky ties, a fun and fashionable way to show that they helped to make a difference.