It’s been an educational first year for the owners of Top Shelf Sports Bar & Grill, and the restaurant wants to do something big to celebrate. While the concept of bringing cheerleaders into a sports bar isn’t a new one, owners Lawrence and Zee Brown are doing it for a different reason than most.
Cheerleaders from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Lightning will join the Top Shelf crew and patrons this Saturday to raise awareness and money for autism research, specifically for Tampa-based group Warriors for Autism.
Zee Brown, co-owner of the restaurant with her husband, Lawrence Brown, hopes that the event will help people erase some of the negativity that sometimes gets associated with autism.
“I was thinking, ‘Cheer for Autism,’” Brown said. “Let’s try to take something that maybe doesn’t have the most positive connotation, and let’s turn it around.”
Zee Brown’s experiences with people who have autism, and the people who work with them, led her to identify it as a cause she’d like to fight for. She’s masterminded Saturday’s event, hoping to bring in some more prominent faces of the Tampa Bay area to raise awareness.
“Autism is something that has touched our lives,” Zee Brown said. “We have friends and family members that are dealing with kids with autism. I have a coworker, and I’ve watched her struggles with it over the years. Her daughter is a year apart from my daughter, so it was very important that I give back to the Tampa Bay community. The community has supported us over the past year.”
And, since this celebration happens to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the business, the Browns and the staff plan to make this as fun as possible.
A portion of all proceeds from Saturday’s sales will be donated to Warriors for Autism, and the restaurant has also been teasing events on its Facebook page. Top Shelf will have door prizes and giveaways during the day, including a trip for two to Las Vegas: three days, two nights at the Tropicana Resort and Casino. Patrons can dine on free chips and salsa all day or if they’re feeling adventurous, take on the restaurant’s timed hot wing-eating challenge.
The celebration will go on all day, and the Browns are happy that they’ve made it far enough to be able to throw such a party. But the most important thing about Saturday, in their opinion, is using the opportunity to help give back to the community that’s helped them reach this point, and helping some people with autism live a little more comfortably than before.
“At the end of the day, what you’re doing is going to go back, in a little way, to a charity, and to help someone in need,” Zee Brown said.
IF YOU GO
Where: Top Shelf Sports Bar and Grill, 110 E. Reynolds St. Suite 100B
When: All day Saturday, May 23. Bucs cheerleaders will be present from 12 to 2 p.m.; Lightning cheerleaders will be present from 3 to 5 p.m.
What: Part of all proceeds will benefit Warriors for Autism, a Tampa group that works with people affected by the disorder. Door prizes, such as t-shirts and other souvenirs, will be handed out. Giveaways, such as a trip to Las Vegas, will be held throughout the day. Patrons can meet Bucs and Lightning cheerleaders in person during scheduled times.