.png "More than 40 restaurants, bars and other options are available for this year’s AVOL Kentucky Dining Out for Life event on Sept. 17.")
More than 40 restaurants, bars and other options are available for this year’s AVOL Kentucky Dining Out for Life event on Sept. 17.
Need a good excuse to eat out? AVOL Kentucky’s Dining Out for Life is Thursday, Sept. 17, and this year there are more than 40 places participating, including several new restaurants.
“Dining Out For Life is one of my favorite reminders of what can happen when an entire community decides to show up for one another,” said Jon Parker, CEO of AVOL Kentucky, in a statement. “You don’t have to do anything extraordinary. Have breakfast with a friend. Take your coworkers to lunch. Gather your family around a dinner table. Those individual choices, multiplied across our community, help us provide testing, connect people with care, support stable housing, and continue working toward ending HIV in Kentucky.”
The annual event raises money to support HIV prevention, testing, access to care, housing and other essential services. Last year, after federal funding for these services was cut, AVOL raised a record $121,000. They’re hoping to top it this year.
“Last year, this community absolutely blew us away by helping raise more than $121,000,” Andrew Shayde, chief development officer for AVOL Kentucky, said in a news release. “This year, we’re asking everyone to help us beat it. Pick your favorite participating restaurant, invite some friends, and have fun. You get a great meal, you support a local business, and you’re helping make sure critical services remain available to Kentuckians who need them. That’s a pretty incredible return on dinner.”
Dining Out For Life is part of a nationwide movement supporting community-based organizations serving people living with or impacted by HIV. Each year, more than 50 organizations partner with more than 2,400 restaurants and 300,000 diners to raise more than $4.5 million. Funds raised through each local Dining Out For Life event remain in that community.
Restaurants in Lexington, Richmond, Berea and Mt. Sterling are participating, and you also can donate directly at DineOutLex.com. All restaurants will donate 25%. Bites of the Bluegrass Walking Tours will donate 50% of the day’s proceeds. Some donations are for all day and some are just for a specific meal. You can see all the options online at diningoutforlife.com/city/bluegrass.
Restaurants participating in AVOL Dining Out for Life 2026A&W All American Food — HamburgAJ’s Wings & Things (NEW)Apollo Pizza & Beer Emporium — RichmondApollo Pizza Meadowthorpe TaproomApollo Pizza Old Town Taproom — BereaAzur Restaurant & PatioThe Bar ComplexBespoken SpiritsBites of the Bluegrass (Culinary Walking Tour)BK’s Cookies & More (NEW)Black SoilBourbon n’ Toulouse — Chevy ChaseBRU Burger BarCamel Club (NEW)Coles 735 MainColumbia Steakhouse — DowntownCounty ClubCrossings LexingtonDarling Wine BarDoodle’s Breakfast and LunchDudley’s on ShortDV8 Kitchen — BroadwayDV8 Kitchen — East EndEpping’s on EastsideEthereal Brewing Public HouseGeorgie’s Social HouseGirls Girls Girls BurritosGrounded All Day CafeThe Grove (NEW)High on Art & CoffeeJ. Render’s Southern Table & BarLussi Brown Coffee BarMinglewoodMinton’s at 760 (NEW)North Lime Coffee and Donuts (Clays Mill)North Lime Coffee and Donuts (Greyline Station)Old North BarParlour Pizza & PintsPasta GarageSedona Taphouse — PalomarTomatoes & Flames (Mt. Sterling)West Sixth BrewingThe WillowWise Bird Cider Co./Little Fork
Related Stories from Lexington Herald Leader
Dining and Cooking