Golden Corral Restaurants Salute America’s Heroes with Free Dinner on Military Appreciation Monday

On Monday, Nov. 16, Golden Corral will thank thousands of active-duty and former United States Military personnel for their service with a free dinner buffet and beverage, while raising donations for the Disabled American Veterans (DAV). A tradition started nine years ago to celebrate our nation’s heroes, Golden Corral’s Military Appreciation Monday has served more than two million complimentary meals to military personnel and generated nearly $3.3 million in contributions for state and local DAV chapters.

“We have 45,000 employees in 485 restaurants nationwide who are very passionate about supporting our military service men and women, and look forward to supporting Military Appreciation Monday annually,” said Ted Fowler, president and chief executive officer of Golden Corral. “While the current economy is challenging, we remain committed to recognizing the military through this program and look forward to reaching 2.5 million meals served and $4 million raised this year.”

Golden Corral has enlisted Gary Sinise, celebrated actor/director, Bo Derek, pop icon and actress, and Collective Soul, the platinum award-winning band, to record public service announcements for Military Appreciation Monday. Sinise, Derek and Collective Soul are all actively involved in supporting active-duty and retired military personnel through a variety of organizations and initiatives including tours to military installations overseas.

“This is the fifth year I’ve had the pleasure to partner with Golden Corral in supporting our troops, past and present, through Military Appreciation Monday,” said Sinise. “The number of meals given away and amount of money donated in the past eight years really distinguishes Golden Corral’s commitment to the military. I’m proud and happy to help raise awareness for Golden Corral’s Military Appreciation Monday.”

Golden Corral will serve free dinner buffets with beverage from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Nov. 16 to any person who is or has served in a United States Military branch, including the National Guard and Reserves – identification is not required. State and local DAV representatives will be on-site at all Golden Corral locations coordinating the collection of donations from customers. While only current and former military qualify for the free meal, everyone is encouraged to come out and show support for our veterans. For more information on Military Appreciation Monday, please visit http://www.goldencorral.com/military/ or become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/GCMilitaryAppreciation?ref=nf.

Disabled Veteran Americans (DAV)

The 1.2 million-member Disabled American Veterans, a non-profit organization founded in 1920 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1932, represents this nation’s disabled veterans. It is dedicated to a single purpose--building better lives for our nation’s disabled veterans and their families. For more information, visit the organization’s Web site at www.dav.org .

Golden Corral Corporation

Founded in 1973, privately held Golden Corral Corp. is headquartered in Raleigh, N.C. Theodore M. Fowler Jr. serves as its president and chief executive officer. Golden Corral currently has 485 restaurants in 41 states. The company’s vision is to be the leader in the family restaurant segment by making pleasurable dining affordable for every guest, at every restaurant, every day. Golden Corral restaurants nationwide have long been strong supporters of the U.S. Military and the Disabled American Veterans (DAV). Golden Corral helped raise more than $736,000 for the DAV in 2008 as part of its annual “Military Appreciation Monday" initiative. For more information on Golden Corral, visit www.goldencorral.com.

Media Note: High-resolution photographs and video footage available upon request