The National Restaurant Association applauded the inclusion of seven member companies into Fortune magazine’s list of the top “100 Best Places to Work For.”

 

This year’s list features NRA member and allied member companies Darden Restaurants, Marriott International, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, The Cheesecake Factory, Sheetz, and American Express among the top 100 companies in the nation that have exceptional workplace cultures.

 

“We congratulate these deserving recipients for their commitment to promoting an ‘industry of opportunity’ for business, jobs and careers, and for creating employee-supportive workplaces that embody our industry’s spirit of hospitality,” says Dawn Sweeney, president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association.

 

More than 252,000 employees at 257 firms participated in this year’s survey. The survey focused on employee attitudes regarding management's credibility, job satisfaction, and camaraderie and included detailed questions about pay and benefit programs, hiring practices, methods of internal communication, training, recognition programs, and diversity efforts. Any company that is at least five years old and has more than 1,000 U.S. employees was eligible to participate.

 

“Restaurants are expected to add 1.3 million new positions within the next decade. As we help develop the next generation of foodservice employees through initiatives such as our ProStarteducation program, we are excited to see the industry foster exciting and dynamic workplaces which promote lasting careers,” Sweeney adds.

 

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s ProStart initiative is a two-year, career-building program for high school students interested in culinary arts and foodservice management. ProStart students experience classroom study, mentored work experiences, and local and national competitions. ProStart is offered in 48 states and serves 95,000 students in 1,900 schools.