Dine out for Food Service Workers

Dining with Gratitude

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Server hands a plate to a guest at a restaurant

Join Us for Dining With Gratitude this September

This September, Giving Kitchen’s Dining With Gratitude campaign will unite operators, suppliers, and vendors nationwide to support food service workers in crisis and help fund the need.

Through a fundraising promotion, operators educate their teams about Giving Kitchen’s resources while increasing awareness among guests in their communities.

By supporting Giving Kitchen, you show that your organization values its people, setting you apart from the competition. Suppliers, vendors and service companies have the flexibility to make a direct donation or conduct a cause marketing promotion to raise funds.

Why Participate?

Turnkey Resources: We make it easy and provide fundraising ideas, guides, employee training materials, content, a media kit and more.
Educate your team about a valuable resource: Demonstrate that your team matters and that Giving Kitchen is a valuable resource.
Visibility: Participating restaurants are listed on the Dining With Gratitude map for guests to find and sponsors are highlighted on the web page.
Flexibility: Choose how and when to activate your campaign—start early, extend past September, run a year-round fundraising promotion, or schedule it when it works best for your business.
Build a Community of Compassion and Care for food service workers: Help create a safety net for food service workers across the nation when life doesn’t go as planned.

Join us to support food service workers and show your commitment to building a community of care!

Download the Info Deck

Learn more about how you can participate in Dining With Gratitude by downloading our info deck below:

Dining With Gratitude Info Deck

2.03 MB 384 Downloads

April 11, 2025

Download

Map of restaurants that participated in Dining With Gratitude in 2024

View Participating Restaurants

Restaurants across the United States are showing their support by raising funds for food service workers in crisis.

Click below to view our interactive map and find a participating location near you.

Visit as many as you can throughout the month of September to show your support for our industry.

View the Map

Is your favorite restaurant missing from the map? Share information about Giving Kitchen and Dining With Gratitude with restaurants in your community and invite them to participate this September. Participation will educate their team and community about a valuable resource and help fund the need.

Plan to dine out often this September at participating restaurants to help food and beverage service workers in crisis. Invite your family, friends and associates to dine out too, let the operator know that you are dining with them to support Giving Kitchen’s mission and post your meal on social media tagging @GivingKitchen and using #DiningWithGratitude

List of restaurants participating in Dining With Gratitude

Need fundraising ideas?

A fundraising promotion can be engineered to drive sales, engage employees and invite guests to donate to receive something in return. We offer guides to help.

For Operators:

Guest generosity driven donations:

Bounce Back or Thank You Offer – can drive repeat business, introduce new products, or increase guest checks.
Pin up promotion, can be added to a bounce back offer
Round Up Promotion

Product Promotions: Limited Time Offers (LTO’’s) Embed the donation amount into the menu price. Partner with your supplier for a discount, or donated product.

Special events: Host a special event, dinner, tasting, brunch, golf tournament… get creative, have fun, sell tickets, and a set dollar amount or percentage for each ticket, meal or mulligan sold. Invite a local celebrity, or newscaster, for a remote broadcast and/or photo opportunity to attract guests.

For Suppliers, Vendors, and Service Companies

Support Giving Kitchen’s mission by sponsoring Dining With Gratitude. We offer campaign or corporate sponsorship packages to help further Giving Kitchen’s mission. Content and assets are provided to market your support.

Ways to sponsor Dining With Gratitude:

Budget a tax-deductible donation to become a campaign sponsor
Product promotion: Donate $X per case/item of product sold during a set time for product introductions, clean out inventory or activate a year-round giving promotion.
Service promotion: Service providers can donate on behalf of new clients
Employee donations with a match

We can share additional ideas on ways to raise funds and market your donation!

Giving Kitchen enables operators to make an immediate, positive impact on the single most valuable part of the restaurant industry: Its People.

– Brandon Coleman III, Chief Executive Officer, Cotton Patch Café

Fundraising Case Studies

Cotton Patch Café’s Product Promotion Fundraiser

Cotton Patch Café donated $1 for every dessert sold throughout the month of October. They established a goal to raise $16,000 and soared past their goal to raise $32,000 in 48 locations.

Cotton Patch Café Dessert Menu

Watershed Hospitality Concepts’ Limited Time Offer

Watershed Hospitality Concepts donated $1 for each Espresso Martini sold at their four locations in the month of October. Sales were challenged as the restaurants were impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton and one location was closed for 2 weeks! They remained dedicated to continue their promotion through the natural disasters!

Watershed Hospitality's Espresso Martini

NFA Burger’s Special Event Fundraiser

The 2024 Burger Benefit, held on September 22nd at NFA Burger, saw an incredible turnout of over 1,100 attendees and raised over $65,000. Billy Kramer, NFA Burger owner conducted the 2nd annual event and invited well known regional and national chefs to cook their specialty burger for 1 hour.

Guests purchased tickets to enjoy a burger or two from their favorite chef from 11 AM – 8 PM with 100% of the proceeds benefiting Giving Kitchen. Their suppliers pitched in for the event and donated product to offset hard costs and help food service workers in crisis.

Over $50k raised at Burger Benefit 2024

Watershed Hospitality Concepts was proud to be part of this meaningful event. Our team is passionate about supporting each other and our fellow hospitality industry colleagues, and Dining With Gratitude gives us an opportunity to express our appreciation and give back to those who contribute so much to our community.

An unexpected crisis can be tough on anyone financially. We are honored to support an organization that gives back and celebrates the amazing hospitality professionals we work alongside of every day.

— Mike Quillen, President of Watershed Hospitality Concepts

How to help food service workers in crisis

Operators: Sign Up to Participate

We offer a guide for every step of your Dining With Gratitude partnership:

Sign up today and your locations will be placed on the map!
Once you sign up, access the Dining With Gratitude Resource Center and download materials.
Determine how you will participate and plan your promotion.
Educate your team and roll out your promotion.
Activate your promotion and have fun!
Thank your customers and team members for a successful promotion.
Announce and celebrate your campaign results.

Diners & Supporters

Plan to dine out and make your meal count during September at participating food and beverage service operations and support their promotion. If your favorite restaurant is missing from the map, print this document and share it to invite them to learn about Giving Kitchen as a resource for the food service workers and to sign up to participate in the Dining With Gratitude campaign this September.

Invite your family, friends and associates to dine with you and post your meal on social media. #GivingKitchen #DiningWithGratitude

Write a note on the guest check thanking them for supporting Giving Kitchen.