The popular fine-dining restaurant Scott’s Downtown continued its annual tradition of giving back on Wednesday by hosting the annual First Responder Luncheon.
Scott Dixon has owned and operated his restaurant for 15 years, and seven years ago he started inviting first responders for this free luncheon.
“We see so many of these people in the community,” Dixon said. “They help us out. They're always around and present, and we just wanted to figure out something where we could give back and show our appreciation to them, especially this time of the year.”
About 130 first responders cycled through the restaurant throughout the day for a feast of roasted turkey, bacon-wrapped pork loin, mac and cheese, creamy mashed potatoes and cupcakes.
This is also the first year that Dixon was able to extend the lunch invitation to the Flowery Branch and Oakwood Police departments. Initially, the meal focused on agencies that operate out of Gainesville, like the Gainesville Police and Fire Departments, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office Hall County Fire Rescue, but Dixon said they had enough resources to invite additional agencies.
“We kind of grew it from there to be able to make sure that we can accommodate and take care of it,” Dixon said. “I guess as we've grown, we've been able to do more so we were able to include more people.”
This is an event that Hall County Deputy Jeremy Cooksey looks forward to every year.
“Scott is a great guy,” Wilson said. “He always takes care of us here and always provides a wonderful lunch. Everyone – Hall County, Gainesville, Flowery Branch… Everyone always looks forward to it. It's a really good time for us all to get together.”
For Gainesville Police Lt. Kevin Holbrook, the First Responder Lunch is a time for him to relax during a hectic day.
“Especially this time of year, we're just as much hustle and bustle as everybody else,” Holbrook said. “In fact, it’s one that we typically have to put in a few more hours and do a little bit of the hustle and bustle to keep everyone safe as they're out doing their shopping and getting their holiday season together. It allows us to kind of put our guard down, so we can be in a location where we can do that. We do greatly appreciate Scott, his willingness to do this for us each and every year. It gives us that opportunity to celebrate the holidays amongst ourselves as well.”
Holbrook said that the Gainesville Police Department has been fortunate to have had a relatively slow month.
“We do a number of different things to plan up to the holidays to ensure that the public is safe and secure,” Holbrook said. “And for the past few years, those projects have worked out well for us in the city. So that's one of the things that we try to ensure – that the public doesn't need to worry about their safety while they're out shopping. We can take care of them and that's important to us in the City of Gainesville. As always, the calls for service do go up, whether it be motor vehicle crashes, assisting the public in different ways, but that's what we expect and that's what we plan for.”
Even though inflation has driven up the price of most goods, Dixon said that is even more reason to give first responders a well-deserved meal.
“All costs have gone up, but that's probably even more reason for these guys that work on a fixed, government-type salary,” Dixon said. “[During] this time of year, it's something to give back because the budgets are that way, and then they're trying to do for their families during the holidays.”
In addition to enjoying free food, first responders were able to enjoy spending time together and with responders in other agencies. This fellowship is especially important in law enforcement and rescue agencies since first responders frequently collaborate with other agencies.
“The work we do is very mentally taxing and physically taxing,” Hall County 1st Lt. in investigations Dan Franklin said. “And so it's nice when business owners give us an opportunity to take a break – to kind of relax for a minute in a relaxing atmosphere. Obviously, there's more than one agency here, so we get to fellowship with one another over a meal. It's just a good way to spend a little bit of time to get away from all of the hustle and bustle that comes with the job that we do. So we're always very appreciative of Scott's, and they always treat us very nicely.”
