Meet the Restaurant Association honorees
For 56 years, the Memphis Restaurant Association has honored those in the restaurant industry at its annual awards ceremony.
This year is no different. The 2020 awards will honor two individuals who have had a positive impact on the Memphis restaurant scene.
Kooky Canuck owner Shawn Danko has been named Restaurateur of the Year. Pat Taylor, who owns Cleaner Solutions LLC, is Associate Member of the Year.
“These awards bring the industry as a whole, as well as these two individuals, to light,” said Ernie Mellor, president of the MRA Board of Directors and owner of Hog Wild - Real Memphis Barbeque and A Moveable Feast Catering. “Both Shawn and Pat are big advocates for our association and our industry. The common denominator for both is that they lobby for our industry and similar small businesses both in Nashville as well as in D.C.”
Restaurateur of the Year
Shawn Danko was born in Montreal in Canada’s Quebec province. While not a Memphian by birth, he has embraced his adopted hometown with enthusiasm and dedication.
Danko has served on the board of directors for Memphis Tourism and serves on the boards for Memphis Restaurant Association, Metro Memphis Hotel & Lodging Association, and Hospitality Tennessee. He has been active lobbying for the hospitality industry at the local, state and federal levels and is chair of the Memphis Restaurant Association PAC. In 2018, Danko was named Hospitality Tennessee Restaurateur of the Year at its annual Governor’s Conference on Hospitality and Tourism.
His 13-year career with Hard Rock Café is what initially brought Danko to Memphis.
In 2005, he and his wife, Lana, opened Kooky Canuck: a 150 seat, fullservice, casual dining restaurant in Downtown Memphis. This year the Dankos are celebrating the restaurant’s 15th anniversary. In 2014, the Dankos opened the second location of Kooky Canuck in Cordova.
Kooky Canuck has been featured on the Irish Travel Channel, “Trailer Park Boys,” “Gas Monkey Garage,” “You Gotta Eat Here!” on Food Network Canada, “World Food Championships” and “Black Ink Crew New York.” It was the first restaurant filmed for “Man v. Food” in 2008, featuring the Kookamonga Burger Challenge.
“Before opening Kooky Canuck, I was already in the industry here in Memphis and began participating with the MRA. Thomas Boggs (the owner of Huey’s) was certainly a major influence,” said Danko. “Mr. Boggs took time out of his busy schedule to sit and listen and offer his advice — which had a huge impact. The restaurant business is hard enough as it is attempting to go at it alone so having mentors is vital.
“It’s important to stay involved whether it’s sharing knowledge or advocating for the industry. ‘If you are not at the table, you are on the menu.’ This quote has resonated ever since I heard it and has driven me to stay active fighting for the restaurant industry at the local, state and federal levels.”
Associate Member of the Year
Pat Taylor has been part of the Memphis restaurant industry for more than 30 years. He spent 18 years working in local restaurants and an additional 16 years servicing the restaurant industry.
After 18 years working in restaurants across Memphis, Taylor became a sales representative in the chemical, cleaning and sanitation industry.
His restaurant background and his experience in sales were the foundation Taylor and his wife, Janis, needed to start their own company: Cleaner Solutions. Founded in 2004, Cleaner Solutions services more than 250 locally owned restaurants in Memphis by providing commercial dishwashers, detergents, cleaners and sanitizers.
“I am involved in the MRA because I feel a vast need to give back,” said Taylor, citing how his business has grown over the years primarily by customer referrals. “I help build membership in the MRA as well as lobby in Nashville and Washington. I do it because it is fun and I get a lot from it. People in this industry reach out and help one another and the MRA is a great way to connect.”
Taylor has been an active member of the Memphis Restaurant Association by sponsoring events, lobbying the state legislature on behalf of Hospitality Tennessee and lobbying Congress on behalf of the National Restaurant Association. He has also used his sales skills to benefit the MRA to help increase membership. Taylor is also a full voting member of the MRA PAC.
The banquet
The annual awards banquet will be Feb. 23 at the University of Memphis Holiday Inn.
The annual banquet is the main fundraiser for the Memphis Restaurant Association, and attendance traditionally exceeds 600 people. The money generated from the banquet helps cover general operating expenses that allow the association to continue educational programming and governmental services for its membership and the Memphis restaurant community.
Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.