The Greater Lakewood Chamber of Commerce ended the year with a bang after co-hosting its first Christmas Mixer & Tree Lighting Ceremony with F&M Bank, in honor of Lakewood restaurants.
With Santa Claus on hand, over 20 restaurant owners in Lakewood were honored for their years of service to Lakewood. (1-4 Years Category) Honored were: Nostalgia Gorditas, Stinkin' Crawfish, The Buffalo Spot, Coco's LipSmacking Cupcakes, Patty's Cakes, Cobbler & Fried Chicken, Str8 Up Tacos, 88 Keys Coffee, Craft'd Nutrition, Cookie Plug and Big Brian's Meats Catering. (5-10 Years Category) Recognized were: Cane's Chicken Fingers, Cafe Rio, Daebak Korean Restaurant, Aliacci Pizza & Pasta, and Cassidy's Corner. (20 Years Plus Category) Recognized were: Foggia Italian Market & Deli, for 24
years; Outback Steakhouse, for 27 years; Heritage Family Pantry, for 29 years; Glory Days Sports Grill,for 30 years; the Spongberg Family for serving Lakewood for 35 years with two El Pollo Locos; and the Piazza Family, for serving Lakewood with four McDonald's restaurants for 54 years!
"What a beautiful way to end a year and start a new one," said GLCC's President/CEO Jose Solache. "With our last mixer of the year, we wanted to celebrate our businesses, not just our members, but all of our businesses to shine a light on all of their hard work, and honestly, for their resilience in being a business owner. It's not easy opening a business, and sustaining it for over a year or 54 years. Restaurants don't just need local permits, they also need to be approved by the county's health department before they can open. It takes courage to open a restaurant, and for that, we should all celebrate them every chance we get."