Happy birthday, Anna Maria Oyster Bars… Volume 11

This month, our 12 Cheers for 20 years charity partner is The Food Bank of Manatee, which provides nutritional assistance and caring supportive services to individuals in need throughout Manatee County.

By distributing food to non-profit agencies including food pantries, soup kitchens, and churches, families in crisis situations can receive food packages on a temporary basis. Infant care baskets with formula, diapers, wipes and other baby essentials are accepted for re-distribution, and pet food also is a welcome donation.

Did you know that The Food Bank of Manatee is operated by Meals on Wheels PLUS? They serve babies, families, and individuals in need through a network of local 115 partner agencies. Through this program and all the others offered, Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee furthers its vision of “individuals in Manatee County having access to programs that end hunger and promote independent living.”

Their team is committed to meeting the needs of our community and working so that no child, family, or senior goes hungry.

During this time of year, the Food Bank needs our help more than ever… lots of hungry folks who need warm holiday meals… so bring those non-perishable items our way and get a FREE Portabella Mushroom appetizer in return!

Cheers to 20 Years!

Make sure you visit us before the month is over and be sure to order one of our 12 Cheers cocktails… as you all know, a portion of proceeds from Dos Equis and our Birthday Cake Cocktail go to Food Bank of Manatee this month, and today the 20th, all proceeds are donated.

We really appreciate you helping us all year support our Community Causes…not just this year…all year…we’ll wrap up our Year-Long 20th Birthday Celebration in December with the Southeastern Guide Dogs…more on that later… Again, thanks so much for your help. It has truly been a remarkable year and the generosity of our guests has blown me away.

Wondering what’s up our sleeve for next year, when the 12 Cheers for 20 Years campaign will have come to an end? We can’t wait to share… next month!

Small Business Saturday

After Black Friday, we turn our attention to Small Business Saturday, which celebrates small, locally-owned businesses like the Anna Maria Oyster Bars.

We’ve teamed up with the Manatee Chamber of Commerce this year to promote #ShopSmall. The Chamber believes the number one thing we can do to strengthen our local economy is to support small businesses by shopping local.

Small businesses create economic growth, create jobs, stimulate innovation and provide a supporting role to large corporations – they are the backbone of our economy. That’s why we support Small Business Saturday and the Shop Small Campaign.

Here’s a list of participating small businesses… of course we all know of many other wonderful shops not on this list… and we hope you choose to visit an AMOB while you #ShopSmall this Saturday!

3 Keys Brewing & Eatery • Alcover Massage  • Aluna Wellness  • AMOB on the Pier • Anna Maria Oyster Bar Cortez • Anna Maria Oyster Bar Ellenton • Anna Maria Oyster Bar Landside Halfway Lounge • The Art Studio & Gallery of Jerri Phillips • Arts & Eats • Birdrock Taco • Blu Mangrove Grill • Bows and Arrows Co.• By the Sea Boutique • The Clam House • Cleveland Kitchen • Cutting Loose Salon • Darwin Brewing Company • DetailXPerts Sarasota-Manatee County • Dickey’s Barbeque Pit • Edible Arrangements Lakewood Ranch • Edible Elegance by Eli • Endurance House • The Fox Business Group, LLC • Fun Girl Art • Gecko’s Grill & Pub Braden River • Gulf Drive Cafe & Tiki Hut • Irenes Resort Wear • Jersey Mikes Subs • Jimmy John’s • Keeton’s Office & Art Supply• The Makers Market • Mission BBQ • Motorworks Brewing • Mountain Comforts Coffee Cafe • Naughty Monk Brewery • Overturf’s Floor and Fabric Care • Pandora Store The Mall @ UTC • Pink & Navy • Salon Coquette Bradenton • Salon Uptown Downtown • Smallcakes Cupcakery and Creamery • Soul to Soul Yoga • Spa NorthWest • Sport Clips Haircuts of Bradenton • TrailWalker Gear Outfitters • Vanessa Fine Jewelry • Veritas! Pest Management • Village of the Arts • The Whitfield Exchange • World Piece

Beat Carolina!

This weekend is the best weekend of the year for college football fans – Rivalry Weekend.

We’ll be watching my alma mater, Clemson University (go Tigers!) take on those pesky University of South Carolina Gamecocks… and you know we have to feast on chicken during the game… so Matt at Landside is offering a special Watch Party deal: $2 off our Jumbo Chicken Wings order.

You might know that we’ve been hosting Watch Parties at Landside all season long for Clemson’s games… but good news: next year we’ll be an *official* Watch Party location for the local Tampa Bay Clemson Club. Go Tigers, beat those Gamecocks!

Now, if you’re staying in to watch the games, take advantage of our AWESOME Wing Platter, with 2 dozen jumbo wings for only $24.99, valid at ALL locations. Call ahead to order… choose from BBQ, Teriyaki, Buffalo, or just plain, and served with Ranch or Bleu Cheese dressing.

We’re also lighting a candle for BOTH FSU and UF fans… two teams trying to salvage less-than-stellar seasons… but no matter how poorly the teams have fared this season, the annual matchup is a thriller to watch. USF and UCF fans have a great game to look forward to, also! Wishing best of luck to all of our Florida teams and their fans this weekend.

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We are thankful for YOU.

Have a fabulous Thanksgiving! We will be closed Thursday so our staff can spend the day with their loved ones… and Amanda and I can celebrate our 5th anniversary!

Happy Turkey Day to all… and to Amanda, Happy 5th Anniversary. Thanks for keeping me the happiest guy in the world. Love ya.

One last thing before we go…

It’s time for our annual Adopt-A-Family drive. We work with the school system to identify families in need this holiday season… and make it easy for you to select a gift and bring in your donation… This is one of the most rewarding campaigns of the year for us and really helps to make these kids’ Christmas feel so special.

Visit any AMOB location to select an ornament from the Giving Tree that lists the gift description, and be sure to bring back your NEW, UNWRAPPED gift by 12/18 and you’ll receive a FREE Fried Pickle Appetizer as our way of saying “thanks” for your support.

PS – if you haven’t tried these Fried Pickles, they are now available at all four stores… hand-breaded and fried to crispy perfection… a staff favorite!

Thanks again, folks, for tuning in to our “12 Cheers for 20 Years” newsletter… look out for more news & updates from the Anna Maria Oyster Bars soon, including next month’s *final* 12 Cheers message about Southeastern Guide Dogs!

As always, “Stay Thirsty, My Friends…”

— John

…Elvis has left the building.