Twenty-five percent of net profits at Gusto Grill are donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Embrace Kids Foundation.
Patch Staff
|Updated Tue, Dec 31, 2024 at 2:15 pm ET
EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — When it comes to businesses, we often hear about profit margins, or how they donate to charities during the holidays. But this local business believes in making a difference year-round.
East Brunswick’s Gusto Grill donated over $200,000 in 2024 to Make-A-Wish, NJ and Embrace Kids Foundation, a local special charity out of New Brunswick, according to Phillip Battista owner and president.
The inspiration behind Battista’s philanthropy is personal — he lost his mother to pancreatic cancer and had multiple friends lose the battle with the dreaded disease.
Battista chose to donate to Make-A-Wish, NJ after a close friend's child was afflicted with a rare form of Leukemia since birth.
"It’s easy for people to write a check to a charity and feel okay about that, but bringing people together for a good cause that they can think about all year is way more impactful for me and the charities,” Battista said.
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So how does he achieve the feat of donating so much to charity?
"I take no salary or rent from Gusto, as I don’t want to take away from those in need. That's how committed I am to the cause,” he said.
Back in 2019, Battista opened his first charity business Pops Coffee Shop in Ortley Beach, NJ.
The response he received from the community was overwhelming and they were able to raise money for Make-A-Wish NJ and Embrace Kids, which exceeded the expectations for a four-month seasonal business.
“I decided if I could get a larger, year-round business, we could do so much more. The search began to find a restaurant in the right community that wasn't a commercial brand, that could bring people together for great food, great service, and a great cause,” Battista said.
He took over Gusto Grill in 2023 — just when the local business community was finding its feet after the COVID-19 pandemic. And he faced an uphill task.
“The bar had been closed during COVID-19. The service was poor, food selection was small and social media reviews were not great,” said Battista.
Slowly he began to rebuild the business, convincing the local community to come back.
And the results have been overwhelmingly positive. The restaurant not only managed to win back customers with their enhanced food and services, but they also won several awards for the same.
A portion of every dollar a customer spends at Gusto Grill goes to charity. Under Gusto Grill’s “Giving” program, 25 percent of net profits are donated to Make-A-Wish Foundation and Embrace Kids Foundation.
This year, Gusto Grill was also the lead sponsor for the Make-A-Wish Walk for Wishes at the American Dream Mall.
“All of this happened because of our guests who are kind enough to come in for a bite and I sincerely thank them all for that,” Battista said.
And he’s not done yet. For 2025, he aims to donate more to charity.
“I want to be able to hit $300,000 in donations next year and help more families and children,” Battista said.
Gusto Grill is located at 1050 NJ-18, East Brunswick, NJ 08816.
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