The National Restaurant Association has created a new foundation to help military personnel, veterans and military spouses get training and other forms of assistance for pursuing careers in foodservice.
The group didn’t specify the new support that would be provided or how those services would be offered, but indicated in Monday’s announcement that the new NRA Military Foundation program would foster opportunities for jobs and small-business ownership.
It described the initiative as an extension of NRA-supported programs like the Armed Forces Forum for Culinary Excellence. That annual event brings 25 active U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps service men and women to the Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone campus for an intensive weeklong course in culinary skills and foodservice management.
The Forum is presented by the Hennessey Travelers Association Educational Foundation, a group whose other supporters include the Society for Foodservice Management and the International Foodservice Executives Association. All of the Educational Foundation’s functions and programs will be absorbed into the new NRA Military Foundation, the NRA said.
“We are proud to expand our support of military veterans by encouraging them to choose restaurant careers,” said Dawn Sweeney, president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association.
The formation of the NRA Military Foundation is the latest effort by the foodservice and franchising industries to foster opportunities for military vets. Programs intended to attract former service people as executives or franchisees are offered by a number of restaurant franchisors as well as the International Franchise Association.
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