Will Go To Dinner: Brothers from New Jersey touring throughout the nation on foot to assist restaurant employees embody strolling round Pittsburgh

Aiden and Louis Ardine ran an average of 40 km per day.

They plan to achieve their goal in five months.

Yes. Five. Months.

The Red Bank, NJ brothers are on over 3,000 mile trek across the United States. What fuels your trip is food – in the truest sense of the word and figuratively.

On May 1, they began putting one foot in front of the other to raise awareness and resources for restaurant workers whose lives were affected by the pandemic.

The route

Your route began on the beach in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and is expected to end on the edge of the Redwood National Forest outside of San Francisco, California.

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop | Tribune review

Louis (left) and Aiden Ardine of Red Bank, New Jersey, pose for a photo on Pittsburgh’s North Shore Friday.

You will go through eleven states including Pennsylvania. The brothers arrived in Pittsburgh late Thursday. They visited Bloomfield Saturday Market and plan to speak to local restaurant staff to learn more about the impact of the Pittsburgh pandemic.

“We know we can do it,” said Aiden Ardine as he sat outside PNC Park on the north side with his girlfriend Hope Roselle and brother on Friday. “Some people take it for granted that they can just call a restaurant and get the food they want. This pandemic was unexpected. And there is no playbook on how to get through. Restaurants are just trying to survive. We have to help them. “

Sum of money

She aims to raise $ 30,000 for the Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping those in the service industry.

You raised $ 20,000.

“Over the past three years, countless restaurant worker volunteers have gone to great lengths to support our mission, but the Ardine brothers are literally leading the way towards a better future for everyone in our community and we are grateful for all of the people we meet meet them and help them achieve their goal, ”said Kiki Louya, executive director of the foundation, via email.

People can donate here.

Aiden Ardine, 28, was a bartender and manager, and Louis Ardine, 27, was a bar in Bond Street Bar in Asbury Park. You were released in 2020. At the end of last year, with the rise in Covid-19 cases, they never returned to work and found work in landscaping and snow removal, as well as in a cafe.

“Service workers found it impossible to get unemployment benefits or had to go to work every day to endanger their health once the restaurants reopened,” said Aiden Ardine. “The food industry is a resilient industry. Despite their best efforts, we know that some restaurants failed because of the pandemic. We want to make sure that others don’t have to shut down permanently. “

The brothers bear their own expenses, camping for a few nights, staying with friends and family members, and sometimes sleeping in hotels.

On Tuesday they go to Ohio and then to Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, where their sister Audrey lives, to Utah, Nevada and California. Her sister Audrey lives in Denver, Colorado.

The idea for this came in December when they drove with their father to his mother Alice, who was seriously ill in California. Aiden Ardine asked his brother if he wanted to go across the country to raise money for restaurant workers. Louis Ardine said he would if his brother wrote a book about it. Louis Ardine is an artist and can provide illustrations. They document the trip on Instagram and this website.

Elaborate course

Aiden Ardine mapped the course using GPS. They also ask for abbreviations from people they’ve met. Brothers Paul and Mark Shots, who met them between Fort Littleton and Breezewood, gave them a better route and water too.

“While we were walking, people got dressed,” said Aiden Ardine. “You ask what we do. We met some pretty amazing people. “

“We meet people and the next day they sometimes drive by and see us still running and they beep to us,” said Louis Ardine. “We sometimes walk the same street for several days, so sometimes we see the same people and they recognize us. It’s pretty cool. “

Their conversations cover everything from their goals for this project to how to be better people. They had their moments, but for the most part they hit it off, they said.

They carry bright backpacks and bold colors. They didn’t walk at night but plan once they get to the desert. Food includes supplements, instant coffee, peanut butter sandwiches, plenty of water, and the occasional Dr. Pepper. You try to have a warm meal every other day.

Courtesy Aiden and Louis Ardine

Aiden (left) and Louis Ardine of Red Bank, New Jersey experienced rainy weather when they were in the US raising money for restaurant workers.

You were in the middle of a couple of thunderstorms and are expecting steamy temperatures on the way west.

“Cars are our greatest danger,” said Louis Ardine.

They were on an eleven day trip towards Pittsburgh.

The brothers said they were lucky because they have some savings. Aiden Ardine moved in with her father and Louis Ardine lives with her mother Robin Gunn.

Roselle, 26, met with the brothers in Pittsburgh for assistance. You and Aiden Ardine met in a restaurant.

“This is something he and his brother wanted to do,” she said. “It’s important. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Every step makes a difference.”

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a contributor to the Tribune Review. You can contact JoAnne at 724-853-5062, jharrop@triblive.com, or on Twitter.