Successful campaign puts change on the menu

Change is on the Menu supports foundation programs and resources that help restaurant employees advance their careers.

Two months and nearly a million dollars later, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation applauded the many donors who’ve contributed to and made its Change is on the Menu campaign a success.

So far, the national campaign, has raised more than $850,000—the result of $200,000 in individual contributions and $650,000 from corporate donations. The funds will allow the foundation to help thousands of industry employees improve their skills and training so they can re-enter a changed work force, one devastated by the pandemic, and find good jobs and rebuild their futures.

Some of the industry’s biggest brands donated to the campaign, including PepsiCo, Uber Eats, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Moët Hennessy USA, Ecolab, TikTok, Land O’Lakes, and Anheuser Busch/Bud Light.

“To all of our partners and everyone who has supported our mission, we say thank you,” said Foundation President Rob Gifford. “You are the heroes who are changing lives and making a difference.”

The campaign kicked off last November, coinciding with Giving Tuesday, a global generosity movement. Change is on the Menu supports foundation programs and resources that help restaurant employees advance their careers. All donations go directly to those programs, which include:

• Earn-while-you-learn apprenticeships in restaurant management
• First-job skills training and employment opportunities for justice-involved young adults
• Training support for military service members and veterans as they embark on restaurant careers
• Culinary arts and restaurant management training to prepare high school students for jobs in the industry
• Scholarships for students pursuing a future in the restaurant/foodservice industry

Learn more about the foundation and its work to assist restaurant employees at ChooseRestaurants.org.