OneBlood and Carrabba's Italian Grill are teaming up to save lives. January through April donors who give blood twice will get a $25 Carrabba's eGift Card. To learn more about Carrabba's "putting people first" principles, we spoke with Amanda, a Regional Marketing Manager at Carrabba's.

Amanda recently celebrated her 16-year anniversary at Carrabba's and talks about how the partnership with OneBlood inspired her to become a blood donor and she reveals her favorite dish at Carrabba's.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your role at Carrabba's.

I’m from a small town in Illinois, lived in the Tampa Bay area for 10+ years, and now live in North Carolina with my husband and English Bulldog. I love to travel and see live music, and I cannot wait until the world opens back up to enjoy both again.

I just celebrated my 16-year anniversary with Bloomin’ Brands/Carrabba’s.  I believe my tenure says a lot about the passion I have for our people and our company. As a Marketing Manager with Carrabba’s, I’m able to help live our Principles and Beliefs every day through building meaningful relationships in our communities and with our Partners.

Why did Carrabba's choose to team up with OneBlood?

Carrabba’s Italian Grill was founded on a set of Principles and Beliefs that were developed by our founders, that are now ingrained in the DNA of our people. Putting people first and being involved in our neighborhood rise to the top of that list. 

One of our Partners, Jason Kasch at our Fourth St. location in St. Petersburg forged a relationship with OneBlood and has been hosting blood drives for many years. It was only a natural evolution to partner with OneBlood on a larger scale in our communities as they follow very similar Principles as Carrabba’s. 

What are you most excited about this partnership?

Bringing more awareness to the importance of donating blood to Carrabba’s guests and increasing the number of new blood donors at our events. Carrabba’s Italian Grill is a source of strength in times of crisis, and we can always be counted on to do our part to enhance the quality of life in our neighborhoods.  Through that, we’ve built an incredibly loyal family of guests who trust our local partnerships, like OneBlood, and have a strong desire to help their communities as well.

What message would you like to share with the community about blood donations?

OneBlood has been such an amazing organization, from every touchpoint I’ve encountered, it’s been nothing short of positive.  Prior to our partnership, I personally had never donated blood.  I am now committed to donating anytime it’s possible to help save lives and support OneBlood and our communities!

Fun Bonus Question: What is your favorite dish at Carrabba's?

Mama Mandola’s Sicilian Chicken Soup (aka “Sicilian Penicillin”) is hands down my favorite thing on our menu.  It’s made from scratch and is truly a labor of love and it shows in the flavor. If you haven’t tried our soups yet, I highly recommend you do.

Fun Bonus Question: What’s your New Year’s Resolution or Goal?

I’m not a firm follower of New Year’s Resolutions, as I like to challenge myself throughout the year. This pandemic has challenged everyone, so I’m currently working on restoring my faith in all things and becoming a more well-rounded, adaptable person.