Gratitude Multiplies For Food Service Workers, Thanks To Watershed Hospitality Concepts

Last year’s Dining With Gratitude campaign was a powerful reminder that supporting food service workers in times of need truly takes all of us — restaurant groups, diners, operators, team members, vendors, and community partners coming together with a shared purpose. We are deeply grateful to Watershed Hospitality Concepts for their outstanding leadership and commitment to rallying their restaurants, partners, and guests in support of Giving Kitchen.

Watershed’s impact was amplified through a generous $10,000 gift from The Zenith Insurance Company, a longtime partner that helped double the support generated during the month-long campaign. This match not only increased critical funds for food service workers facing illness, injury, housing disaster, or loss of a loved one — it demonstrated the power of collaboration across our entire food service ecosystem.

“We get energized supporting Dining with Gratitude annually,” said Mike Quillen, President of Watershed Hospitality Concepts. “Our team is passionate about supporting one another and our fellow hospitality industry colleagues, and so are our business partners and guests. Dining with Gratitude gives us an opportunity to demonstrate that commitment and give back to those who contribute so much to our community. We’re grateful to support an organization that celebrates and uplifts the incredible hospitality professionals we work alongside every day — and we’re especially thankful to our partners at The Zenith for their generous support.”

As part of Giving. Kitchen’s 2025 Dining With Gratitude campaign, all Watershed Hospitality Concepts restaurants participated, engaging diners in a simple but meaningful way — turning everyday menu choices into tangible support for hospitality workers.

• Cask & Ale, Pie On Main, and Blasé Martini Bar / 3.14 Pi Pizza donated a portion of every Espresso Martini sold to Giving Kitchen.
• Lefty’s Oyster & Seafood Bar committed a donation for every dozen specialty oysters sold.

Through this collective effort, Watershed demonstrated what’s possible when a restaurant group mobilizes not just its locations, but its guests, teams, and trusted business partners around a shared mission. Dining With Gratitude became more than a campaign — it became a community-wide expression of care.

The Watershed Hospitality Concepts family of restaurants is built on the belief that hospitality goes beyond the plate. With more than 100 hospitality-driven team members across four restaurants, WHC is committed to creating welcoming spaces through quality, locally inspired fare, seasonal ingredients from farm partners, and innovative cocktails — all while fostering a culture rooted in camaraderie and service.

That same commitment extends to the broader hospitality community.

In Florida alone, the hospitality industry employs more than 1 million restaurant workers across 48,000 eating and drinking establishments, making it the second-largest private employer in the state and contributing over $77.6 billion in sales annually (National Restaurant Association). When one of those workers faces a crisis, organizations like Giving Kitchen step in — and it’s the collective support of donors, diners, restaurant teams, and industry partners that makes that help possible.

We are profoundly grateful to Watershed Hospitality Concepts, The Zenith Insurance Group, and everyone who participated in last year’s Dining With Gratitude campaign. Together, they showed that when the hospitality community comes together, we can take care of our own — one guest, one partner, and one generous act at a time.