We all know that feeding your community is a big part of what it means to be a successful restaurateur. But did you know that there are simple ways to give back and help those around you? Here are some ideas:
Partner with a local food pantry to donate excess food at the end of the night.
Food pantries are a great way to help the community, and your restaurant can participate by donating excess food at the end of the night. If you are concerned about preparing food for donation, consider donating food that is not in its original packaging or that has been prepared in a way that would make it difficult for anyone to re-sell.
Host a fundraiser for a local business that has been affected by a natural disaster.
Donate a portion of the proceeds. If your restaurant is doing well financially and can afford to be generous, consider donating a percentage of sales from one or two nights to a local business that has been affected by a natural disaster. This could be as simple as pledging 10% or 20% from every bill during those days, and it’s likely customers will appreciate it too!
Allow community members to host meetings or small gatherings in your dining room before or after it opens for the day.
You can also host a small meeting or gathering in your restaurant before or after it opens for the day. This can be a great way to get people together who don’t otherwise have time to meet—you might even be able to attract new customers in this way.
You could also use your space for smaller events, such as birthday parties, bridal showers and rehearsal dinners, baby showers, and other celebrations of life. We know how busy you are running a restaurant but don’t forget about the importance of helping others when they need it most!
If there is ever an event where people need space to gather after someone has passed away we would love to be part of that process too.
Partner with a non-profit organization and donate a portion of every sale of a particular menu item to that organization.
The first option is to donate to a local charity. If you have a business in San Diego and want the city’s homeless community to benefit from your generosity, choose a local homeless shelter or food bank as your beneficiary. If you operate out of Los Angeles, choose an organization that works with young people such as Big Brothers Big Sisters Los Angeles (https://www.bbbsla.org/) or New Vision Youth Center (http://newvisionyouthcenterla.org/).
Hire employees from local job training programs for at-risk youth.
If you’re a restaurant owner or manager, chances are good that you already know that hiring people who have been trained by local job training programs for at-risk youth can be an excellent investment. These employees are not only skilled in food prep and customer service; they also bring with them the confidence and discipline needed to succeed in any position at your restaurant.
This means even if your business is short on cash right now, consider hiring employees from one of these programs. You’ll get more accomplished with fewer resources while helping an individual who needs a hand back on their feet!
Source local ingridients
Support local economies by buying directly from farmers or local businesses instead purchasing produce is grown overseas which is transported across seas.
We hope that these tips have inspired you to think of ways that your restaurant can give back to the community. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day business of running a restaurant, but it is important to take time out of your schedule to think about how you can make an impact on others. After all, this is what makes life worth living!
