St. Louis restaurants will raise money for cancer research on Aug. 4 and again in September

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On Friday, Aug. 4, Pedal the Cause will host A World Without Cancer Day, when nearly 100 restaurants and local businesses in the St. Louis metropolitan area will donate between 10% and 25% of their revenue to Pedal the Cause and their support toward funding early-stage cancer research at Siteman Cancer Center and Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Some of the participating businesses include Brasserie by Niche, Peacemaker Lobster & Crab Co., Cafe Napoli, Four Hands Brewing Co. and Park Avenue Coffee. A full list of the 2023 participants is available online. 

Founded in 2009 by two-time lymphoma survivor Bill Koman, Pedal the Cause is dedicated to supporting and donating to Siteman Cancer Center, which gave Koman his treatment, and ensuring that all patients at Siteman continue to receive similar care.

Their mission, as current executive director David Drier described it, is to achieve a world without cancer, and that the businesses supporting Pedal the Cause on Friday, Aug. 4, are integral to reaching that goal. 

“It's great that we have so many partners that want to be involved and support this mission and use their business as a way to help us lead toward success with fundraising. So, it's really great to see all different sorts of restaurants, from fast and casual to fine dining, and from small boutiques to larger stores, jumping in and joining the cause and helping us create awareness and support,” said Drier. “On the other side of this, we hope that we bring new customers to our partners on that day, so that as they're giving back to us, we're also giving back to them. We hope that some of our Pedal the Cause supporters go out of their way to spend money with the restaurants and the shops that are listed with us on that day.”

Drier added that while their mission is global, he hopes that A World Without Cancer Day will highlight and promote the local, community-based efforts toward fighting cancer via local restaurants and marketing. 

“Our main focus is peer-to-peer fundraising and that, by definition, allows everybody to participate if they so choose. We're open to everybody, and we try to cast a broad net, and rightfully so,” Drier said. “Cancer affects all of us, it knows no boundaries. We feel the same with Pedal the Cause in our effort to try to create a world without cancer through research. But that broad community focus prevails as our restaurant and retail partners are spread across the metro area, illustrating once again that we are trying to be inclusive, community-minded and available to everybody.” 

Following A World Without Cancer Day is the Pedal the Cause weekend, which takes place on Sept. 23 and 24. On Saturday the 23rd, Taste the Cause will take place, in which more local St. Louis restaurants, including Hi-Pointe Drive-In, Seoul Taco and Fitz’s Root Beer, will be catering. For $50 a ticket, attendees can sample all of the participating restaurants, and registered Pedal the Cause participants are given free entry, jerseys and more. On Sunday the 24th, the Pedal the Cause rides will begin at 7 a.m. departing from Chesterfield Mall. 

 

Drier emphasized that not only does the combination of local research and dining support both parties, but that in turn, the restaurants’ collaboration with Pedal the Cause allows them to showcase some of the best aspects of the St. Louis community. 

“It's showcasing two of the most successful economic sectors and points of pride in the region. We hear about what's wrong in the region, often in the news, but what's right about St. Louis is the quality of world-class cancer research going on day in and day out. We are such a powerhouse of innovation and quality that it's something to be proud of,” Drier said. “And obviously, as locals, we all want to support the restaurants that make St. Louis such a great place to live, and our quality dining scene is really another one of the pillars of what's right with the region. So, it's just a win-win for all of us.” 

For more information on registering for and participating in the event and volunteering, visit the Pedal the Cause website.