Remember the days when, for the sake of marketing, restaurants ponied up with promotions in which part of the proceeds for a day or a week went to a charity? For a while, that seemed brilliant. PR companies expertly advised their foodservice clients that they could count on bundles of free publicity because publications like that kind of news—especially if the beneficiaries are women, children or animals.
Then along came Millennials and their answers to survey questions revealing that they would support with their dining dollars operators who support causes they believe in. Better if the restaurant’s core DNA visibly stands for something respectable. Nobility became a proposition championed by then-emerging fast casuals—beginning with “Food With Integrity” (yes, Chipotle).
At first, besides charities, everyone was supporting organic, local farmers, fair trade, low carbon emissions and the like. Then all that became a given and less buzz-worthy.
Today we are watching an all-out do-good revival going on in foodservice. What’s different now is that new fast casuals aren’t the only ones building human and global welfare into their operations. Also, it’s not a function of the marketing department, but a C-level top-down directive that turns giving and doing into a core business proposition. So I’m saying, there’s been an awakening among chain restaurant executives to project meaning beyond feeding customers. Finding a global need and having a part in meeting that need is no longer left to the church. Let the Methodists say Hallelujah.
Saving oceans from plastic is Red Lobster’s new initiative, hot off the press. The chain announced a partnership with Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit that seeks to protect and preserve the world’s oceans. It plans to focus on two things: The Global Ghost Gear Initiative (dealing with lost and abandoned fishing gear) and the Trash Free Seas Alliance. That effort seeks to keep plastic waste from entering oceans.
Just how could Red Lobster help with that? With its buying volume, it will educate suppliers, and don’t be surprised if it makes some kind of packaging requirement of them. It has put everyone on notice that it is taking plastic seriously. Per its press release, “Red Lobster, which was the first large casual dining restaurant company to make a commitment to eliminate plastic straws from its restaurants, will continue to evaluate the use of single use plastics and seek alternatives. Red Lobster will also help educate consumers about the impact single-use plastics can have on the oceans and marine life and encourage eco-friendly choices.”
While plastic is the cross-hairs at Red Lobster, Cracker Barrel’s ongoing cause is military families. While it long has made them promotion beneficiaries, most recently the chain has formed a strategic partnership with Operation Homefront, a nonprofit that helps military families with short-term financial needs, transitional and permanent housing and family support programs. Cracker Barrel is leveraging Operation Homefront’s knowledge of who and where the needs are when it comes to meals.
Those and other causes infused into the DNA of a restaurant are commendable. But please hope with me that in time, as more operators pick the things they would like to champion, they don’t turn to political activism and the hot-button issues that divide our country. After all, aren’t restaurants where we come together and forget the outside world? Let’s preserve that sanctity—please.
Tell me what you think.
Jody
