Newport Restaurant
Encyclopedia
Moe's Newport Restaurant is located in the Westboro area of Ottawa
, Canada, on the corner of Richmond and Churchill. Moe's is known for its pizza
and Lebanese cuisine
.
Moe's was founded by Moe Atallah, a Lebanese refugee who fled his homeland in 1976. In Lebanon, Atallah managed his family's restaurant on the Mediterranean coast. His first job in Canada was as a dishwasher for a Greek restaurant on Rideau Street. He worked for a number of local restaurants, including another local institution: the Colonnade pizzeria on Metcalfe Street. He purchased the Newport in 1988, turning the diner into a local landmark and highly successful enterprise. Atallah now owns a number of restaurants around Ottawa.
He is also a well known philanthropist
, having raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for local charities. He is co-founder, along with Canadian journalist and good friend Earl McRae
, of the Elvis
Sighting Society, a philanthropic organization that often holds events at the restaurant. The walls of the Newport are decorated with Elvis memorabilia and pictures, originally inspired by McRae being a well-known fan of the late singer. Nowadays, Atallah himself has a great fondness for Elvis as well. In recognition of the society and the Newport, the small lane behind the restaurant has been officially dubbed "Elvis Lives Lane" by Ottawa City Council.
The restaurant is also notable as the workplace of Heather Crowe
, a longtime waitress at the Newport who was diagnosed with lung cancer
. Having never smoked, the cancer was credited to the many years of exposure to secondhand smoke in the Newport, and other restaurants that she had worked in over a forty year career. It was at the Newport that she met a Health Canada director who helped make her a spokesperson for the campaign against secondhand smoke, which included appearance in television commercials across Canada. Atallah also appeared in a series of public awareness commercials, discussing how unaware restaurant owners were about the dangers of secondhand smoke, and how smoking had been banned by the Newport after Crowe's diagnosis.
Every Christmas morning, Atallah allows the less fortunate to have breakfast and lunch at the Newport for free. Hundreds of gifts are also donated from the public to the Newport for this special occasion.
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Canada, on the corner of Richmond and Churchill. Moe's is known for its pizza
Pizza
Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings.Originating in Italy, from the Neapolitan cuisine, the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria"...
and Lebanese cuisine
Lebanese cuisine
Lebanese cuisine includes an abundance of starches, fruits, vegetables, fresh fish and seafood; animal fats are consumed sparingly. Poultry is eaten more often than red meat, and when red meat is eaten it is usually lamb on the coast and goat meat in the mountain regions...
.
Moe's was founded by Moe Atallah, a Lebanese refugee who fled his homeland in 1976. In Lebanon, Atallah managed his family's restaurant on the Mediterranean coast. His first job in Canada was as a dishwasher for a Greek restaurant on Rideau Street. He worked for a number of local restaurants, including another local institution: the Colonnade pizzeria on Metcalfe Street. He purchased the Newport in 1988, turning the diner into a local landmark and highly successful enterprise. Atallah now owns a number of restaurants around Ottawa.
He is also a well known philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, having raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for local charities. He is co-founder, along with Canadian journalist and good friend Earl McRae
Earl McRae
Earl McRae was an award-winning journalist who formerly wrote a daily general interest column for the Ottawa Sun.-Biography:...
, of the Elvis
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
Sighting Society, a philanthropic organization that often holds events at the restaurant. The walls of the Newport are decorated with Elvis memorabilia and pictures, originally inspired by McRae being a well-known fan of the late singer. Nowadays, Atallah himself has a great fondness for Elvis as well. In recognition of the society and the Newport, the small lane behind the restaurant has been officially dubbed "Elvis Lives Lane" by Ottawa City Council.
The restaurant is also notable as the workplace of Heather Crowe
Heather Crowe
Heather Crowe was a Canadian waitress who became the public face of Canada's anti-smoking campaign. She claimed that she contracted lung cancer in 2002 from second-hand smoke encountered at her workplace of over forty years, and later appeared in numerous television public service announcements...
, a longtime waitress at the Newport who was diagnosed with lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
. Having never smoked, the cancer was credited to the many years of exposure to secondhand smoke in the Newport, and other restaurants that she had worked in over a forty year career. It was at the Newport that she met a Health Canada director who helped make her a spokesperson for the campaign against secondhand smoke, which included appearance in television commercials across Canada. Atallah also appeared in a series of public awareness commercials, discussing how unaware restaurant owners were about the dangers of secondhand smoke, and how smoking had been banned by the Newport after Crowe's diagnosis.
Every Christmas morning, Atallah allows the less fortunate to have breakfast and lunch at the Newport for free. Hundreds of gifts are also donated from the public to the Newport for this special occasion.