Enterprise gives its employees $100 to spend at local restaurants

From left, Marquis Curry, and owners Harry Harrell and Gary Torrence, of Tom Jenkins’ Bar-B-Q in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with Enterprise employees Jason N. and Alieka S.

Full- and part-time employees of Enterprise Holdings, the world’s largest car-rental operator, were told on Employee Appreciation Day (March 5) that they would each be receiving $100 to dine at a popular local restaurant.

In the US, Enterprise teams did the research (and legwork) to identify neighborhood eateries that locals love in the communities where Enterprise branches operate (5,500 of them in the U.S. throughout all 50 states under Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands).

Purchasing cards and certificates for distribution, the local Enterprise teams met with many of the selected operators and quickly understood the effect the gift-card purchases would have on the restaurants’ businesses.

Harry Harrell, co-founder of Tom Jenkins’ Bar-B-Q, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., shared his take: “The pandemic really slowed our business. It killed our catering, which was 30% of our business; we’re takeout only right now. Buying these gift certificates from us, it’s a real shot in the arm. It helps us survive.”

“We’re a family business … one that began as a tiny, neighborhood startup. We know the vision, passion, and hustle behind every small business with big dreams,” said Chrissy Taylor, President and CEO, Enterprise Holdings. “We’re paying it forward to another industry hard hit by the pandemic because when we invest in them, we live out one of our company’s guiding principles: Strengthen our communities, one neighborhood at a time.”

The National Restaurant Association communications team supported the Enterprise effort leading up to the launch and CEO Tom Bené participated in a Q&A session with Enterprise’s Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources Shelley Roither.

As Bené said, “By giving away these gift cards, Enterprise is setting an amazing example of how we can all support our local communities.”