When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama in August, the quick-service restaurant industry was quick to respond—and for good reason: Those were our customers, employees, and operators wading through the floods and debris. The industry lost restaurants, revenue, patrons, and personnel in the disaster, prompting independent operators and chains alike to make donations and stage events to raise money for victims. Some even went right to the front lines to provide food and water in the critical days after the storm. It’s still too early to put a number on the industry’s contribution, but one event alone, Dine for America, a national “dine-out” day in which operators donated a portion of the proceeds to the American Red Cross, raised millions. To find out how you can still help, visit http://www.restaurant.org/katrina/index.cfm.

When ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition focused its hospitality on Alma, Arkansas-resident Colleen Nick and her two children in June, Randy and Susan West, owners of 10 area Subway stores, decided to help the project along. The couple’s Alma restaurant provided roughly 700 sandwiches to feed crew and volunteers during the week-long renovation project—all while continuing to serve the store’s regular clientele.

The night before Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream Parlor founder Joe Whitty opened his own restaurant, he asked the local priest to bless the establishment, promising that if he made enough to feed his own family, he’d give something back to the community. Whitty’s family didn’t go hungry, and for the past 33 years, Happy Joe’s has kept Whitty’s promise by hosting parties for special needs children. As of 2005, more than 140,000 kids have attended parties throughout the chain, and the company plans to keep the tradition alive as it expands.

Lowell Hawthorne, president and CEO of Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill, got the idea for his quick-service concept from Hawthorne & Sons Bakery, a business founded by his mother and father in his native Jamaica. When he brought the concept to the United States 15 years ago, he carried with it his mother’s belief that education can change lives. Now, the chain itself is helping to change lives through an outstanding commitment to education. In 2005, Golden Krust donated more than $165,000 to scholarship funds in both Jamaica and the U.S., and in October, the chain launched its Pennies for Change drive, which aims to bring in another $350,000 for the cause.

Kelly Creighton, president of Golden Franchising Corporation, knew customers liked the Lotta Zing spicy seasoning offered in Golden Chick restaurants, but he had no idea just how popular it was until he received a request for the cayenne pepper-based condiment from halfway across the world. A soldier stationed in Iraq first got a taste of the stuff when another member of the battalion received some packets in the mail. When the soldier wrote to ask if Golden Chick could send some more in May, the chain put together a care package with four cases of Lotta Zing spicy seasoning, footballs, and plush camouflage versions of Clucky, its chicken mascot. HR >