The late Alexandra “Alex” Scott was diagnosed with childhood cancer at the cusp of her first birthday, and by 4 years old, she was running a lemonade stand to raise money for research, one cup at a time.

Alex passed away in 2004 at the age of 8, but her dedication to finding a cure lives on through Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), a charity in her honor that has raised over $250 million through fundraising and restaurant partnerships.

The biggest thing Alex taught others, says executive director Liz Scott, is even small acts of kindness can accumulate to have an immense impact on the lives of others. This principle acts as her north star when she considers corporate social responsibility (CSR), and it’s a philosophy she preaches to restaurant managers pursuing making a difference.

“For operators, approaching CSR can feel overwhelming and be a lot of heavy lifting,” Scott says. “The idea of something grand and comprehensive can get in the way of just starting out, [but the biggest thing] is finding what their values are and what’s important to them first.”

In Scott’s experience, when approaching CSR, most companies have the same goal: connecting their employees to something larger than themselves, where customers can see the social work they’ve been doing.

She explains that the key to CSR, for many operators, lies in implementing a modest program with honest intentions and evolving, either organically or with a partnership like ALSF.

Applebee’s started with one franchisee collaborating with the foundation, and after 16 years, it spread across the system to multiple locations. Firebirds Wood Fired Grill followed the same trajectory. What started as donating a few cents of every lemonade sold turned into fundraising events, rotating promotional menu items, and getting vendors involved.

“Most companies underestimate their ability to have an impact, and it’s a big barrier,” Scott says. “But it’s about taking those first steps to get involved and see what works in your restaurant. I think there’s an opportunity there to just try it out, and that’s what we learned from Alex.”

For Jen Hidinger-Kendrick, founder of The Giving Kitchen, CSR includes an added layer of remaining socially accountable and transparent—not just raising the money but being what she calls “excellent stewards of donor dollars.”

“Being responsible for the truth and learning how to lead together through transparency is how operators bring people into their belief system, and it’s something we must think about constantly. [You must] be transparent with the stories you’re telling and who you’re helping.”  

The Giving Kitchen, founded in 2012, provides emergency assistance to foodservice workers through financial support and community resources. The nonprofit has raised over $8.5 million in financial assistance to employees in the industry nationwide.

Like Scott, Hidinger-Kendrick understands how CSR can feel unattainable at times, but she stresses how having a central mission can override any growth pains and act as a guiding force for restaurants.

“It won’t come without immense community effort, but you have to have belief in the people of this industry,” Hidinger-Kendrick says. “There are challenges within all of it … But this doesn’t mean it can’t happen. It just has to be done and lead with authenticity and a common goal.”

Hidinger-Kendrick believes the industry’s stance on mental health can act as a bottleneck when she thinks about CSR, but there is room to grow. In a space where workers and management alike are asked to leave their feelings at the door, it takes an immense amount of courage to ask for help and even more to be able to provide it.

“The Giving Kitchen has helped over 16,300 food service workers by sharing a story. It’s this ripple effect and continuous opportunity to share a little bit of yourself with somebody that empowers others,” Hidinger-Kendrick adds. “[For operators] just knowing the resources available to you and sharing them is one of the most responsible things anybody can do within their local community.”

CoreGives, otherwise known as Children of Restaurant Employees (CORE), has been offering grant assistance for hospitality workers experiencing financial hardship since 2004. Sheila Bennett, CORE’s former executive director, agrees with Scott and Hidinger-Kendrick in that the first step for operators wanting to deploy a successful CSR program is to align themselves with a cause important to the organization.

“What we’ve learned is when a restaurant chooses to conduct a promotion for CORE [or similar programs], it builds a sense of pride and demonstrates the organization’s ability to make a positive impact in the community in which they serve,” Bennett says. “We know it builds a halo effect and customers value doing business with these types of brands.”

She builds off Hidinger-Kendrick’s belief in transparency and urges operators to become comfortable with Better Business Bureau guidelines regarding how promotions and charity are  communicated with the public—she says it’s an easy thing for operators to overlook and have issues with.

Also, she warns of the epidemic of stretching too wide and too fast when implementing a new CSR program. Having a keen understanding of operational systems and choosing a nonprofit accordingly is imperative, Bennett says.

“You need to know the bandwidth of your operation, and it’s helpful to choose a nonprofit with turnkey assets and tools to make your job a little bit easier,” Bennett advises. “In some cases, they’ve already created customized training tools for your employees and content for your newsletters, menus, and social media.”

Weaving CSR into a brand’s ethos can seem staggering, especially when looking at how it affects daily practices and margins, but all three nonprofit industry veterans see a path forward for operators through even the smallest acts of service.

“Start where you are and understand there’s probably a million ways you can be socially responsible, but there is a way that fits every company,” Scott says. “If you try to be everything and tick off every CSR pillar right away, it won’t be sustainable … Do what fits within your business, and you can still have an impact.”