Giving Back- A Rising Restaurant Trend
A restaurant has always been more than just a place to grab a bite to eat. It’s also the gathering spot for the community, a space to spend time with family, or to catch up with old friends. With such strong ties to the community it is no surprise that restaurants have a long history of giving back to those communities. Now in 2017 there is a growing rise in charitable giving, fastly becoming a strong trend.
2017 is the year of local power.
94% of restaurant operators donate to some kind of charity every year, the total reaching $3 billion annually. This is all within an industry with historically slim margins and high competition. So what gives with all this giving?
Consumers care more about how their food is prepared and where it comes from now. There is more focus on locally sourced produce, meat, and seafood and the overall environmental sustainability of a restaurant. Questions such as take out containers (styrofoam or no), recycling, and even composting are moving more to the forefront in the industry.
Partnering with charities
With all this focus on local it is a natural extension to focus on local charities. Restaurants are uniquely placed with communities to run fundraisers and campaign for specific charities. More and more large corporate chains are developing partnerships with national charities, and small Mom and Pop joints are teaming up with the local animal shelter.
All about community
Guests have come to expect their restaurant to donate money to local organizations, and this is a trend that goes beyond the restaurant. Newspapers have even started awarding business that give back the most.
Giving back is a long-time tradition in the restaurant industry, who serves up not only great food but takes the term “great service” outside of the restaurant itself. For every restaurant Sunny Street Café opens they find a local charity to raise money for in the first month opening, and for major promotion they always find a charitable tie in. Giving back is part of its framework, and this dedication is starting to become more than just a one-off, it’s starting to be part of the very mission of many restaurants.