McMurphy’s Grill opened its doors in 1990 as the first-in-the nation full-service restaurant for training clients struggling with homelessness and mental illness. The program enables 30 to 40 people per year to discover successful careers in the restaurant industry.

read about McMurphy’s Express – an extension of McMurphy’s Grill

When McMurphy’s Grill first began, The Boeing Foundation and the Boeing Employees Community Fund provided the start-up funding. Paul and Midge McKee donated the restaurant location to St. Patrick Center, and J. Kim Tucci and John Ferrara of The Pasta House Company donated kitchen pans and silverware, as well as training for the restaurant’s employees when it first began. Currently, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. and the Boeing Foundation help underwrite the costs of the restaurant training program.

McMurphy’s Grill helps clients develop good work habits and learn food service skills. Participants receive minimum wage during 12 weeks of specialized training in which they work with job coaches to master 11 restaurant functions, including preparing food in a restaurant kitchen and how to wait on or bus tables. After they have completed their training, St. Patrick Center helps them find permanent employment in a restaurant.

Celebrity Host Wednesday began in 1994 as a way for individuals in the St. Louis community to show their support and be involved in St. Patrick Center and McMurphy’s Grill. Over the years, countless media personalities, religious and political leaders, and civic-minded individuals have participated by donning a Celebrity Host apron and inviting their friends, family members and business colleagues to McMurphy’s Grill for lunch. If you are interested in participating in our Celebrity Host program, or have a celebrity to recommend to us, please contact Tara Creamer at (314) 802-1987 or tcreamer@stpatrickcenter.org. We appreciate your support of McMurphy’s Grill!

“I have never written a testimonial before, but now is the time. I just had my sister’s 65th birthday celebration at McMurphy’s Grill and it was OUTSTANDING. The food was excellent, the service excellent, the accommodations excellent, and any other area that I may have forgotten grandiose. The buffet table was simply gorgeous. I cannot say enough about Nunzio, Kelley and Larry, truly a superb team. I can only say perfection! Thank you, St. Patrick Center, for providing this service to the community!”

view the McMurphy’s Grill box lunch order form

read the McMurphy’s Grill fact sheet