Two Cincinnati restaurants are showing that the holiday spirit extends far beyond their menus, serving thousands of free meals and distributing hundreds of toys to families in need during this season.Good Plates Eatery in Clifto n and Confessions Bar and Restaurant Lounge in Walnut Hills showed just how big an impact they can make during the holidays. Both restaurants say giving back has been built into who they are since they opened their doors.At Confessions Bar and Lounge, the line was out the door.The establishment, which has been open for just six months, served 150 free hot meals and distributed 100 toys directly into the hands of local children."Somehow someway, they just want to always give back to the community just to thank our customers and those who are less fortunate," said Diamond Travis, human resources manager at Confessions.After serving 150 meals on Thanksgiving, they returned to open their doors again."There's a lot of gentrification going on in this area. So, we know there are a lot of people around this time and the holidays, looking for meals, so we're just trying to cater to them, too," Travis said. "Don't forget about them. Sometimes they get forgotten about."This is the restaurant's first year organizing the toy drive, and Travis said she hopes to expand the program next year with more gifts and sponsors.Meanwhile, at Good Plates Eatery in Clifton, staff and volunteers prepared for their sixth year of holiday giving. The restaurant will serve 2,500 free, no-questions-asked holiday meals on Christmas Eve, and will also give out gifts with their Giving Project.WATCH: How two small businesses are bringing in the holiday cheer while supporting their community Restaurants serve meals, give out toys to families in need"My husband has always had a big heart. He loves to give away gifts during the holidays. We've done it at previous restaurants we worked at and wanted to do it here," said Jamie Schlanser, co-owner of Good Plates Eatery.Schlanser said the gifts for the Giving Project come from hundreds of community donations throughout the year."So our first project was maybe 50 meals, and it was a lot of students, nurses and teachers around that didn't go anywhere for the holidays. And then the next year. I think somebody dropped off maybe 50 turkeys, and it just kind of blew up from there, and so now it's thousands of people every year," Schlanser said.In addition to the meals, families can pick up clothes, hygiene items, and books."We've been in Clifton for a long time. We love the community, and there's just a need for it," Schlanser said. "We don't need paperwork. We don't need to know your story, we don't need to know how many meals you're taking, or why. Just let us know, and that is what you get."Good Plates Eatery Giving Project is set for 11 a.m. Wednesday. ...read more read less