Five South Florida restaurants under Arka Restaurant Group will donate 20% of sales on September 30 to Blood Cancer United, with a combined fundraising goal of $20,000. The one-day event spans four Kaluz Restaurant locations — Fort Lauderdale, Wellington, Plantation, and Pembroke Pines — plus Max's Grille in Boca Raton, running from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
The Operator Angle
For multi-unit restaurant groups, cause-marketing events that align with nationally recognized awareness months have become an increasingly effective tool for driving covers while reinforcing community ties. Arka's approach — a coordinated, same-day giveback across all five properties — concentrates marketing lift and donation volume rather than spreading efforts piecemeal. The group's prior July event, which directed 20% of sales to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, raised $14,000; the September goal of $20,000 reflects the group's ambition to scale that model. Operators looking at restaurant community engagement strategies often find that transparent percentage-of-sales mechanics resonate with diners because the transaction itself becomes the act of giving.
What the Funds Support
Donations will support Blood Cancer United's portfolio of services: blood cancer research, free patient and family support programs, clinical trial guidance, and advocacy for affordable care access. Blood Cancer United — formerly The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, founded in 1949 — is the largest global nonprofit focused on blood cancer patient support across more than 100 blood cancer types. The September 30 event is timed to close out Blood Cancer Awareness Month and build momentum ahead of the organization's 2026 Light the Night season in South Florida.
"Giving back to nonprofit organizations that are making a real difference has always been part of who we are as a company," said David Baldwin, owner of Kaluz Restaurant and founder of Arka Restaurant Group. Shannon McCluskey, Operations Director at Arka Restaurant Group, echoed that sentiment, noting that what a restaurant does outside its four walls carries as much weight as the hospitality delivered inside them.
For hospitality groups evaluating cause-marketing and community partnership models, Arka's structure offers a replicable template: a defined giving percentage, a single concentrated day, multi-unit coordination, and a nonprofit partner with strong local and national name recognition. The July-to-September cadence also suggests the group is building a recurring giveback calendar rather than treating charitable events as one-off activations — a distinction that matters for guest retention and staff morale alike.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
