The restaurant industry provides jobs and careers to people from every walk of life, and restaurants often play a huge part in supporting the communities that support them. According to National Restaurant Association research, at least 90% of U.S. restaurants are involved in charitable giving year-round. The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) knows it and makes it a mission each year to recognize restaurateurs who go beyond the day-to-day to make an impact on others’ lives through its Restaurant Neighbor, Faces of Diversity and Ambassador of Hospitality awards. The 2020 call for entries is officially open at chooserestaurants.org/awards.
Last year, the Foundation heard about Raising Cane’s franchisee Southern Hospitality out of Lincoln, Neb. CEO Justin Jones and his team participate in a range of efforts, including Cell Phones for Soldiers, which recycles guests’ old cellphones and exchanges them for calling cards for service members who are serving overseas. Through Stuff the Bus, the group’s restaurants collect and donate school supplies to children in need. It also takes part in Raising Cane’s Coat Campaign, which provides outerwear to impoverished people, including the homeless. Jones says his restaurants give back because his communities support the efforts: All donations come from customers, who, in turn, receive free meals for their contributions. Southern Hospitality was honored with the 2018 Restaurant Neighbor Award.
The 2018 Faces of Diversity Award winner, El Pollo Loco franchisee Pollo West Corp., based in Los Angeles, is headed by CEO Michaela Mendelsohn. She transitioned from male to female in 2006 and knows firsthand the importance of a supportive work environment and career opportunities for all genders. In 2016, she founded TransCanWork, which connects transgender employees with employers committed to hiring them in safe, inclusive workplaces. She was determined to make a difference after “hearing what [other trans men and women] went through in the workplace, how difficult it was to get jobs and how they’d do anything to keep them.”
The Thad and Alice Eure Ambassador of Hospitality Award is the premier award bestowed by the NRAEF and goes to industry professionals who realized extraordinary achievements and are exemplary industry leaders. The 2019 recipient, Roz Mallet, president and CEO of PhaseNext franchise operating company, Plano, Texas, started as a cashier and steadily moved up through several companies, serving as an assistant manager, training supervisor, human resources executive, COO and ultimately president and CEO of her own company. She’s known for her innovative approach to enterprise strategy, turnarounds, transition planning, systems implementation, employee development and franchise operations.
These operators are past winners of the Restaurant Neighbor, Faces of Diversity and Ambassador of Hospitality awards, sponsored by American Express, PepsiCo Foodservice and Ecolab, respectively. If you or someone you know deserves recognition for good works, nominate them today.
How to enter:
Go to chooserestaurants.org/awards. The deadline is Oct. 7, 2019; there’s no cost to enter.
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