In London, Bob Bob Ricard City, which is owned and run by Russian-born British restaurateur Leonid Shutov, will be hosting a fundraising dinner in support of the Ukraine effort on Sunday 13 March, with all monies raised on the night going to Unicef.
Chef Larry Jayasekera will work with Bob Bob Ricard City’s head chef Ben Hobson and his team to cook a four-course menu inspired by Ukrainian ingredients and classic dishes, priced at £195 per person.
In addition to this event, £1 from every bill at both Bob Bob Ricard Soho and Bob Bob Ricard City will be donated to the Ukrainian Red Cross.
"Russian aggression in Ukraine inevitably casts a shadow on any business that uses the word 'Russian' to describe itself," Shutov tells BigHospitality.
"And it makes no difference that the only connection we as a restaurant have to Russia is just in terms of heritage and cuisine.
"We have had a handful of customers share their concern about the reputational damage that Russia’s actions unavoidably inflict on a business such as ours. While we do not have the power to right a terrible wrong, we are taking a step to help those in need by donating £1 from every check directly to the Ukrainian Red Cross."
Other operators in the capital that have pledged support include Mexican/Japanese restaurant Los Mochis, which is donating 100% of its dinner service revenue this Monday (7 March) to The Help Ukraine Emergency Appeal.
The restaurant has also said it will be boycotting Russian vodka and switching to Ukrainian brand Nemiroff in a further show of solidarity, echoing decisions made by the likes of bar group Arc Inspirations and others earlier this week.
A number of operators have committed to donating proceeds from sales of chicken Kyiv, named after Ukraine's capital city, to support aid efforts.
They include Kensington restaurant Il Portico, which has put the dish back on the menu 'for the first time in 40 years' and is donating £5 from every order to the Red Cross in Ukraine; and London-based cocktail bar and restaurant group Drake & Morgan, which will be donating £1 of every Kyiv dish sold to the British Red Cross’s Ukrainian Crisis Appeal.
Beyond the capital, national microbrewery and British pub group Brewhouse & Kitchen has pledged to donate 100% of the revenue from the first batch of its new seasonal cask beer (Spring Seasonal Amber Cask Ale) – to launch on 7 March – to the British Red Cross's appeal.
Kris Gumbrell, chief executive, Brewhouse & Kitchen, told MCA, BigHospitality's sister site, the first batch would be equivalent to around 1,500 litres, with the business targeting £10,000 from sales, which will be donated.
“It’s impossible for us to ignore what is going on in Eastern Europe; many of our guests and colleagues are from this area of Europe and everyone wants to find a way to help,” Gumbrell said.
“Pubs are not just about their local communities – they can make a difference to people’s lives anywhere.”
