Industry News | October 18, 2012
The NRA Wants to Know: Is Your Brand a Good Neighbor?
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Restaurants’ charitable contributions are estimated at up to $3 billion annually, and more than nine out of 10 restaurants are actively involved in community service.
To recognize these efforts, the National Restaurant Association (NRA) encourages the nation’s nearly one million restaurants to apply for its 2013 Restaurant Neighbor Award.
The NRA is also accepting nominations from individuals who have seen firsthand how restaurants support their communities, including patrons and employees.
The NRA and Restaurant Neighbor Award founding partner American Express developed the award to raise awareness about the restaurant industry’s contributions in local communities.
Application/nomination forms are accepted online until January 7, 2013. The NRA will also accept nominations through its social media channels, including Facebook and Twitter.
“Restaurateurs and their employees are heroes in local communities from coast to coast, but often don’t get the recognition they deserve. We are trying to change that,” says Dawn Sweeney, NRA president and CEO.
“For the 15th year, we are recognizing their tremendous efforts and celebrating the ways in which they support their communities with our Restaurant Neighbor Award,” she continues. “We look forward to continue learning about all the great things our industry is doing, both from restaurants themselves and from the people they support.”
The annual Restaurant Neighbor Award is presented to restaurants that exemplify the industry’s community support and philanthropic spirit.
Four national winners will each receive a $5,000 contribution to their charitable projects. The national winners will be presented the awards in Washington, D.C., in April 2013, and be recognized on the NRA’s website.
The Restaurant Neighbor Award honors charitable contributions in four categories (small business, mid-size business, large business/national chain, and Cornerstone Humanitarian).
Each participating state restaurant association will select winners in their respective states that will be in the running for the national award. The state winners will also be recognized on the NRA’s website.
QSR® magazine has always found space to report on the charitable works and deeds of members of the foodservice community. But recently it became important to us to step up our efforts, and the decision was made to consolidate these stories in one place so you, the reader, could easily learn about what the industry is doing when it comes to giving back.
Our hope is that these pages will inspire and motivate you to take up your own cause—whatever that might be—to make our world a better place.
Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's International, told readers in the very first issue of QSR magazine that "Profit is not a dirty word." But Thomas also worked tirelessly for the many charitable causes that touched his life. In so doing, he proved that running a successful business extends beyond the bottom line and that the real rewards in life are measured in a currency far greater than the dollar.
So let these stories inspire you to find your cause, if you haven't already done so. We encourage you to let us know what you're doing, so that others might follow your lead, pickup your cause, and contribute in ever more positive ways to our communities and lives.
Among the causes that QSR magazine supports is CureSearch for Children’s Cancer. CureSearch for Children’s Cancer funds the lifesaving, collaborative research of the Children’s Oncology Group, the world's largest, cooperative pediatric cancer research organization. More than 5,000 physicians, nurses and other researchers, at more than 200 hospitals in North America, treat 90 percent of children with cancer. Funding efforts by CureSearch allows children with cancer to receive world-class treatment and care close to home.
Only research cures children’s cancer. The cure rates have risen from 10% forty years ago to a 78% overall cure rate today. Our goal is 100%.
Be part of the cure. Together, we can conquer children’s cancer.
The U.S. Congress has under consideration a bill that would provide $150 million for childhood cancer research. CureSearch offers an easy email template to write your federal representatives in support of this bill. It may be the most rewarding five minutes you spend today.
