Food service establishments across the country, from neighborhood spots to national brands, joined Giving Kitchen in celebrating the teams that keep hospitality moving.
September 25, 2025 marked the inaugural year of Giving Kitchen, leading a nationwide campaign to spotlight and thank the people behind the pass, the bar, and the counter — the hard-working individuals who make dining out so memorable.
Nearly two-thirds of people in the U.S. have worked in food service at some point.
A food service worker reaches out to Giving Kitchen for help every 28 minutes.
Giving Kitchen has provided over $16 million in emergency assistance, and provided over 100,000 Stability Network resources to help prevent eviction, hunger, and homelessness when a food service worker experiences a crisis.
National Food Service Worker Day is more than a one-day thank you — it’s a call to action to dine with gratitude, raise awareness about Giving Kitchen, and ensure no worker faces a crisis alone.
On September 25, we`re celebrating National Food Service Worker Day and the people across our industry who make hospitality happen every single day. 🧡
"My early experience in the restaurant industry helped shape my appreciation for hard work, teamwork and service, and it taught me lessons that still guide me today," said Paul Brown, co-founder and CEO of @InspireBrands.
"Working in a restaurant builds confidence, leadership skills and lifelong connections," added Kelly McCulloch, Inspire`s Chief People Officer, on the impact food service has on the people who work in it.
"Food service workers deserve to be celebrated because they make hospitality feel personal and create memories that last long after a meal—or a cup of coffee—is over," said Scott Murphy, Inspire`s Chief Brand Officer and Dunkin` Brand President.
Thank you, Paul, Kelly, Scott, and the Inspire Brands team, for celebrating alongside us and for showing up for food service workers who strengthen communities everywhere. Tag a coworker, share a memory, or thank someone in person today. Use #FSWDay to join in.
For Ryan Fletter, Owner and Wine Director of Barolo Grill in Denver, Colorado, food service is more than an industry—it’s his whole world.
Ryan grew up in the restaurant business, and the friends, family, and community he’s built through food service have shaped his life. For him, hospitality is about creating space for people to connect, share experiences, and spend time together.
“Everyone should be working in the food service industry at some point just to participate. No question.”
Because whether we work in food service or not, we all experience the community, connection, and joy that food makes possible.
This September 25, we’re celebrating the people who create those experiences every day.
Celebrate your people. Share your gratitude. Show up for food service workers. 💙🧡
Comment CELEBRATE and we’ll DM you the link to our National Food Service Worker Day filter!
#FSWDay #FoodServiceWorkerDay #GivingKitchen
Strong partnerships create meaningful communities, and we’re grateful to have Aprio by our side. 💙🧡
As a 2026 Annual Corporate Partner, Aprio continues to invest in the people who keep our communities running. From supporting Charlotte Family Meal and Team Hidi to helping food service workers access emergency assistance when unexpected hardship strikes, their partnership reflects a meaningful commitment to the people behind the industry we all rely on.
As Michele Blondheim, VP of Corporate Social Responsibility at Aprio, shares, food service workers help us celebrate, create memories, and bring people together. Their work may often go unrecognized, but they absolutely deserve to be celebrated.
This September 25, we’re proud to celebrate the people who show up every day to create meaningful experiences for all of us.
Giving Kitchen’s National Food Service Worker Day is our day. Comment `Celebrate` and we will send you the official link to support.
Thank you, Aprio, for continuing to show up for food service workers and for helping us make sure they know they matter.
Together, we are Giving Kitchen. We help food service workers.
foodserviceworkerday.com
#FSWDay #FoodServiceWorkerDay #GivingKitchen
For Felipe Ospina, Giving Kitchen Chicago Council member and a proud immigrant from Colombia, food service is deeply personal. 💙🧡
Felipe started from the bottom and knows firsthand that restaurants simply don’t function without the people behind them—from dishwashers and cooks to chefs, managers, and owners.
“Everybody from a dishwasher to an owner to a chef—they’re humans. They’re feeding their families. They’re extremely important. I’m one of them.”
Every person who shows up to make a restaurant run matters. This Friday, September 25, we’re celebrating the people behind the experiences that bring us together.
Juntos somos Giving Kitchen. We’re here to support food service workers.
Celebrate your people. Share your gratitude. Show up for food service workers.
Comment `CELEBRATE` and we will send you the link!
#FSWDay #FoodServiceWorkerDay #GivingKitchen
This Friday, September 25, is Giving Kitchen`s National Food Service Worker Day! 💙🧡
Two out of three people in the U.S. have worked in food service. That means food service workers are part of all of our communities.
So, we’re asking you to join us: post a selfie or video sharing why you’re grateful for and support food service workers. Tag @GivingKitchen and use #FSWDay so we can fill the feeds with gratitude.
Whether they’re serving your morning coffee, cooking your favorite meal, or making your next celebration special, take a moment to say thank you to the 15 million people who make our industry what it is.
Let’s make Friday a digital wave of gratitude for food service workers everywhere. Comment CELEBRATE and we will DM you the link!
As a former food service worker, Mike Jordan knows firsthand just how much food service workers give to their communities. “They are some of the best and hardest working people.”
This September 25, join Mike and Giving Kitchen in celebrating the people who serve us every day. 💙🧡
We’re so grateful to have Mike as part of Giving Kitchen’s mission. He’s not only helping us celebrate National Food Service Worker Day, but also joining us as emcee for Forkside Seats on November 1. We’re lucky to have his voice, his energy, and his love for our food service community as part of Giving Kitchen’s mission.
Thank a food service worker in person, share your gratitude, and help us make sure they know just how much they matter. Comment `CELEBRATE` and we wil send you the link: foodserviceworkerday.com
#NationalFoodServiceWorkerDay #FSWDay #ForksideSeats
For food service workers, financial hardship can quickly mean difficult choices. One recent study found that 3 in 5 food service workers have skipped meals to save money. (Instant Financial, 2026)
September is #HungerActionMonth, and it’s an important reminder that food insecurity can look different for everyone.
At Giving Kitchen, we help food service workers through crisis with Financial Assistance for essential living expenses and our Stability Network, which connects workers to local community resources like food banks and housing support.
And we know this support matters: 72% of Giving Kitchen clients say financial assistance helped prevent them from having to skip meals to save money.
Help us spread the word about the support available to food service workers. Share this post and help more workers know they can Ask For Help. 💙🧡
For Chef Archna, Chef & Owner of Tandoori Pizza and Wing Company and Bhojanic, the restaurant industry represents something powerful: opportunity. 💙🧡
“It is the only industry where you can start out at the very bottom and end up owning restaurants of your own. It doesn’t matter what your accent is. It doesn’t matter what language you speak. It’s what you do for work and how you perform.”
Archna has seen that opportunity firsthand, watching people who once arrived in Atlanta with very little go on to lead her restaurants.
That’s what makes food service so special. It’s an industry built on people, hard work, second chances, growth, and the belief that there’s always somewhere to go next.
This September 25, we’re celebrating the people who make this industry what it is.
This is our day. Celebrate your people. Show up for food service workers.
Comment CELEBRATE and we’ll DM you the link to our National Food Service Worker Day filter!
#FSWDay #FoodServiceWorkerDay #GivingKitchen
10 DAYS until National Food Service Worker Day! 💙🧡
Did you know 2 out of 3 people in the U.S. have worked in food service? That means nearly all of us have a food service story worth celebrating.
On September 25, Giving Kitchen is making it BIG. It’s our one day to fill the feed with gratitude for the people who feed, serve, welcome, and care for our communities every day.
10 days. One BIG celebration. Millions of reasons to say THANK YOU.
Start thinking about the food service worker you’re celebrating, and tag them below. 👇
#FSWDay #GivingKitchen
For Dr. Effie Richardson (@effie.dakarnola), Managing Partner and Co-Owner of Dakar Nola @dakarnola in New Orleans, supporting food service workers is about more than giving back. It’s about providing relief, joy, and stability to the people who spend their days creating special moments and experiences for others. 💙🧡
“Giving Kitchen’s work is very important, and it’s actually essential. You are impacting people in an emotional way that is meaningful. So why not have opportunities and access and dedicated services for those individuals who are contributing to special moments and experiences for people?”
That’s what makes this mission so powerful. Food service workers show up for all of us, and Giving Kitchen is here to show up for them when they need it most.
This September 25, we’re celebrating the people behind the industry we love.
This is our day. Celebrate your people. Show up for food service workers. Comment CELEBRATE and we’ll DM you the link to our National Food Service Worker Day filter!
#FSWDay #FoodServiceWorkerDay #GivingKitchen
A big thank you to @jdkess for sharing why Giving Kitchen’s mission matters and reminding us that sometimes, Asking For Help at the right time can make all the difference. 💙🧡
This September 25, we’re celebrating the people who make the food service industry possible for Giving Kitchen’s National Food Service Worker Day.
Mark your calendar and join us in celebrating the people who show up for us every day.
Comment CELEBRATE and we’ll DM you the link to our free National Food Service Worker Day filter!
#FSWDay #FoodServiceWorkerDay #GivingKitchen
👨🍳🍽️Give it up for the cool kids on givingkitchen National Food Service Worker Day!
All our team members work tremendously to make Funwoody so much more than a place to hang. Thank you to every food service member for making unforgettable experiences table-side & behind the line!
Come celebrate our hospitality team tonight & check out givingkitchen initiatives to provide emergency assistance and support to food service workers across America!
#fswday #eatlocal #bestteam #funwoody
Food service workers are a part of life’s most ordinary and extraordinary moments, whether it’s remembering a daily coffee order or helping to make sure a birthday celebration is unforgettable.
On Semptember 25th, social feeds filled with photos old and new, virtual thank-you notes were sent, and team shout-outs were acknowledged. From group selfies in kitchens to family meals shared after service, the collective message was clear: we see you, we appreciate you, and we’ve got your back.
Thank you for celebrating food service workers with us!
Explore coverage & outreach from Nation’s Restaurant News, Telemundo’s Poder en Ti, Yahoo Finance with Board member Chef Andrew Zimmern.
Look back at special videos from Proof of the Pudding, Will Guidara of Unreasonable Hospitality, and 200+ supporters who took the time to thank our industry members.
National Food Service Worker Day may come once a year, but the impact of gratitude lasts all year long. Here’s how you can keep supporting food-service workers every day:
Say thank you—and mean it. A genuine acknowledgment can brighten someone’s entire shift.
Tip generously. It’s a small act that creates a huge ripple of appreciation.
Support restaurants that support their teams. Dine out at participating Giving Kitchen’s Dining With Gratitude locations.
Share kindness online. Post about great service where you shared Giving Kitchen’s mission and tag @GivingKitchen to help spread awareness.
Educate and advocate. Encourage your favorite restaurants to share Giving Kitchen’s resources with their staff.
Every meal, every shift, every interaction is a chance to make someone feel valued — because gratitude, like good food, should be served daily.
Thank you to everyone who showed up, shared, and celebrated with us for National Food Service Worker Day 2025. Let’s do it again in 2026!
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