‘Community pillar’ Newport Rib Co. hits the big 4-0
There have always been those who believed that community came about by breaking bread together.
In the Newport-Mesa area, many might agree that it is a dish best served with a slab of ribs.
Newport Rib Co. marks its 40th anniversary in business next month, and to celebrate, the family-owned-and-operated eatery is prepared to give back to the community.
The restaurant will donate 20% of its dine-in and takeout checks to local and national charities from Oct. 1 through Oct. 20. The chosen charities benefit animals, children, health-related causes, veterans and more.
Guests will have the opportunity to decide which charity to donate to through the program, a concept that Newport Rib Co. has brought back every five years since its 20th anniversary.
“I would say this is a unique way that we are able to give back to the community that has really been giving back to us since we opened,” said John Ursini, proprietor of Newport Rib Co. “It’s such a two-way street, and sometimes, I don’t think everybody gets that.
“Our parents, since we were young kids, were always involved in whatever thing that we were involved in. They were always on the board. … We’re fortunate we have a restaurant, and it’s easy to be able to give back to the community, and this is just an easy way and an important way for us to do that.”
Newport Rib Co., which originally opened on Newport Boulevard, has operated out of its current location at 2196 Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa for the past 25 years.
Ursini said planning for a reunion of staff at the end of the 40th anniversary celebration is underway. In reconnecting with former employees and seeing how their families have grown, it has brought the passage of time into perspective.
Laura Marroquin, Ursini’s sister, said the restaurant’s longevity has created a “legacy.”
“Not only do we have employees who have been here, but now we’ve employed their children,” said Marroquin, the community relations and catering manager. “Our dad is the founder, and now we’re his children, and now his grandchildren have been working here.
“To be a part of this community for 40 years and see so much change and still be a constant in the community, it’s really special and unique, I think.”
Surviving the coronavirus pandemic instilled a confidence like never before.
“The COVID thing kind of kicked us into high gear,” Ursini said. “You had a choice. You could sit on your hands — like a lot of people did, or were forced to do, or thought that they needed to do — and we literally, within two days, we were doing deliveries. We pivoted, and we were hustling, and no one missed a beat, and we all kind of came out of that like, ‘Yes! We are Rib Co.”
Ursini graduated from Estancia High in 1982 and Marroquin in 1987. Their brother, Dave, who runs the Long Beach-based Naples Rib Co., graduated from the same school in 1985.
Newport Rib Co. has made a significant contribution to the crosstown rivalries in Costa Mesa (Battle for the Bell) and Newport Beach (Battle of the Bay). The winners of those series have often been treated to catered feasts.
“Athletics is a big part of who we are and who our customer base is,” Ursini said. “I think we’ve built a pretty strong loyalty through doing things like the Battle for the Bell, the Battle of the Bay, team banquets, sponsoring team meals, and that’s been a good foundation for us, in a lot of ways.”
Patrick’s Purpose, among the list of charities included in the event, has recognized those who may have spent less time in the spotlight. Kim Turner formed the foundation after losing Patrick, her son, to suicide at the age of 16 in January 2018. Turner expressed gratitude for having the foundation be a part of the event, calling Newport Rib Co. a “pillar” of the community.
In the letters he left behind, the family found that Patrick longed for those with good character to be recognized like the star athletes and the straight-A students were. His message was one of inclusion, hoping to engage others in the conversation and look for opportunities to perform acts of kindness.
The foundation has since put “buddy benches,” designed with a purpose to always have more than one person on them to serve as conversation starters, at multiple Newport-Mesa schools.
“We started by offering scholarships to kids who decide to go to a community college or a trade school because in Patrick’s letters that he left for us, that was a huge issue with him,” Turner said. “He couldn’t stand how everybody was judged on their GPA and their test scores and what college they went to. He really said, ‘What about the nice kid? What about the kid with character? Why aren’t we celebrating those kids?’
“So that’s kind of been the foundation of what we started to do, and the scholarship program has been very successful, and it’s been really fun to see these kids go [into fields like] culinary school or aviation mechanics. Somebody went to clown school this year. That was really cool. Patrick would love that.”
For more information on the selected charities for Newport Rib Co.’s 40th anniversary event, visit ribcompany.com/40-year-celebration.
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