Consumers are increasingly seeking out restaurants that offer more than great food and value for their money—they’re also looking for places to dine that share their values and support local communities.
Consumers, especially Gen Z and Millennials, now expect brands to be responsible corporate citizens and to be transparent about their impact on society and the environment. It has become an important factor in their decisions about where to spend their restaurant dining dollars.
Technomic’s 2022 Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Multi-Client Study found that 72% of consumers ages 18-34 said they are more likely to dine at a restaurant or foodservice establishment that describes itself as “socially responsible/sustainable.” In addition, 90% of consumers ages 18-34 are very or somewhat likely to choose one restaurant or foodservice establishment over another because they know it has a commitment to social responsibility/sustainability and/or the menu was sustainable.
How restaurants treat their employees is especially important when it comes to corporate social responsibility, the report found. More than half—52%—of consumers surveyed said treating employees well is a factor influencing their decision to patronize a foodservice establishment. In addition, consumers rated several aspects of employee working conditions as important components of corporate social responsibility, including offering humane working conditions, protecting workers’ physical safety, providing health insurance and protecting employees’ emotional safety, among others.
As an industry that is one of the largest employers in the country, restaurants have increasingly been in the spotlight when it comes to their employee practices, and many have taken steps to address the well-being of their workers by improving the work environment.
Now, the National Restaurant Association and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation have partnered with DIRECTV for BUSINESS to launch a new program designed to advance and strengthen the role restaurants play in communities across the country. That includes providing employment opportunities for people from all backgrounds.
The five-year Experience Restaurants initiative will seek to help improve the restaurant experience for employees and customers through delivery of DIRECTV for BUSINESS’s entertainment solutions.
“Restaurants—and the 12 million people who work there—are truly the backbone of the communities where they operate,” said Michelle Korsmo, president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association and CEO of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. “They’re a spot for friends and families to share a meal and one of the only places where someone can start their career as a dishwasher and end it as an owner.”
Programming includes exclusive commercial access to MLS Season Pass, ESPN+ FOR BUSINESS, “Friday Night Baseball” from AppleTV+ and Major League Baseball – as well as hugely popular sports & entertainment options such as MLB® EXTRA INNINGS, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NHL CENTER ICE, local sports, news and over 80 music channels.
“DIRECTV has long believed in being a good citizen in the communities where our employees work and live,” said Doug Eichler, senior VP, DIRECTV for BUSINESS. “This dynamic partnership with the National Restaurant Association and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation allows DIRECTV to take that credo even further, into communities large and small across the United States that support restaurants.”
Visit www.restaurant.org/directv to learn more about how operators can provide a better experience for both guests and workers.
This post is sponsored by DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS℠