Oct. 20, 2026 – Nov. 25, 2026
Ted's Montana Grill, Nationwide, Nationwide
people in the United States have worked in food service.
This is a day for them. For you. For all of us.
Food service workers keep our communities running. They create experiences, build connections, and show up every day to serve others, often behind the scenes. From cooks and dishwashers to servers, bartenders, bar taps, cashiers, catering managers, and food service teams everywhere, these are the people who power one of the country’s most essential industries.
This is an industry that builds careers, families, friendships, and communities, and it deserves national recognition. On Friday, September 25, 2026, Giving Kitchen invites the nation to come together for National Food Service Worker Day, a day dedicated entirely to celebrating and honoring food service workers across the country.
Use Giving Kitchen’s Official National Food Service Worker Day Celebration Filter to create a photo or video, rally your team, and give a little love to the people who make every shift, plate, and guest experience possible.
Need a caption? Use our suggested copy to help spread the gratitude.
Snap A PicMark your social calendar for September 25! Tell your social team, or remind yourself to post, use Giving Kitchen’s Official National Food Service Worker Day Celebration Filter, capture a photo or video, and help fill the social feeds with gratitude.
Share your celebration post on Instagram or LinkedIn using #FSWDay and tag @GivingKitchen so we can reshare.
And, when you dine out, take a moment to thank a food service worker in person!
Grey's Diner in Charlotte, NC
@atlhawks Forkside Seats 2026 | A one-of-a-kind dinner that’s True to Atlanta, cooked by 12 of its best. 🍽️ Meet the Forkside Seats chefs, serving Nov. 1 on the @statefarmarena floor to help support Giving Kitchen.
▫️ Chef Matthew Basford, Canoe
▫️ Chef Terry Koval, The Deer and The Dove
▫️ Chef Josue Peña, The Iberian Pig
▫️ Chefs Carlo Gan and Mia Orino, Kamayan ATL
▫️ Chef Jimbo Irvin, Local Three Kitchen & Bar
▫️ Chef Yoshi Kinjo, Nakato Japanese Restaurant
▫️ Chef Sade, Paschal’s Restaurant
▫️ Chef Chris Gillis, Ruth’s Chris
▫️ Chef Robert Butts, Station 11 / Argile
▫️ Chef Woody Back, Table & Main
▫️ Chef Deborah Van Trece, Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours
▫️ Chef Chris McCord, Bovino After Dark
Here’s the fun part: every table is paired with one of these chefs, but you won’t know which until you sit down to dine Forkside. 🍽️ Before dinner, settle into cocktail hour in exclusive State Farm Arena spaces with drinks, wine and tastings from 20+ Food and Beverage Partners including @themckitchen, @creaturecomfortsbeer, @minhwaspirits and more.
VIP is sold out, but Reserved Seats are still available, and you can grab a full table of 10 for your crew. Tickets at GivingKitchen.org/ForksideSeats 💙🧡
Thank you, @GeorgiaNaturalGas, for fueling 2026 Atlanta Hawks Forkside Seats!
#ForksideSeats #ForksideFriday #TrueToAtlanta
We’re counting 18 million reasons to be grateful. 💙🧡
Giving Kitchen has reached an incredible milestone: $18 million in financial assistance provided to food service workers in crisis.
Behind that number are real people, families, and moments when a little support made a big difference. And behind every bit of that support are the people who make this work possible. Our team, donors, partners, and community show up for food service workers every day, and this milestone belongs to our entire food service community, especially, the brave 42,000+ food service workers who have asked for help.
We’re SO grateful to be part of a community that believes in showing up for one another. Here’s to the impact we’ve made together and the people we’ll continue to support.
Together, we are Giving Kitchen.
A stronger food service community starts with showing up for one another. 💙🧡
Thank you to Giving Kitchen’s 2026 Corporate Partners for standing alongside the food service workers who make our industry so special. Your partnership helps us provide stability for workers facing crisis and reminds us what’s possible when we come together to support the people behind our industry.
We hope you’ll join us in recognizing and supporting the companies that invest in our food service community. Together, we’re building an industry where food service workers have a community to turn to when crisis hits, and where every crisis is met with compassion and care.
Meet the companies helping make this possible: https://bit.ly/4cqei5k
Food service workers spend their days taking care of others. But who takes care of them when they need it most? Asking for help is a powerful first step toward healing, and no one should have to face a crisis alone. 💙🧡
“This summer, I went through a life-threatening mental health crisis that left me recovering from severe seizures. I’m now home, focusing on healing, but I’m unable to return to work in the kitchen yet. My wife and I are taking things one day at a time.”
Healing takes time, and getting the support you need can make a difference along the way. When a health crisis keeps a food service worker from working, Giving Kitchen is here to help.
Through financial assistance and our Stability Network, we help food service workers navigate crises, connect with resources, and find support so they can focus on what matters most: their health and well-being.
This #WorldMentalHealthDay, we’re reminding our food service community that mental health is health. Checking in with yourself, reaching out to someone you trust, and asking for help when you need it are all important steps toward caring for yourself.
Visit givingkitchen.org/help to learn more.
TRUE TO ATLANTA, ONE BITE & SIP AT A TIME. 🍴🔥
Where else can you enjoy bites from Magic City Kitchen (@themckitchen), Ruki’s (@rukiskitchenatl), Chef Robert Butts (@chefrobertbutts) of Station 11 (@station11atl), and Bankhead Seafood (@bankheadseafood), alongside culinary bites and sips from some of Atlanta’s favorite restaurants and beverage partners? Only at @atlhawks Forkside Seats fueled by @GeorgiaNaturalGas on Sunday, November 1st.
From Paschal’s (@paschalsrestaurant) and Busy Bee Cafe (@thebusybeeatl) to Canoe (@canoe_atl), The Deer and The Dove (@thedeerandthedove), Bomb Biscuits (@bombbiscuitatl), and so many more, Atlanta’s food scene is coming together for one unforgettable night. Start with bites & sips in Giving Kitchen`s Sports Bar, then head to the arena floor for dinner, a live auction, and music.
VIP is officially SOLD OUT, but Reserved Seat tickets are still available!
Join us Sunday, November 1, at @statefarmarena for a True to Atlanta experience that supports Giving Kitchen’s work helping food service workers through crisis.
🎟️ Get your tickets at the link in bio: GivingKitchen.org/ForksideSeats
📸 : @cbwportraits
A September moment of gratitude, with a whole lot of impact. 💙🧡
Because of your support, Giving Kitchen reached some meaningful milestones this year:
• Over 4,000 food service workers served
• $1 million+ awarded in financial assistance
• Our 31,000th food service worker connected to Stability Network resources
• Our 2,000th QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide training completion
And in September, that support showed up for food service workers in 40 states + DC. Giving Kitchen awarded $183,465 to food service workers in crisis and provided 1,969 referrals for housing, health care, employment, mental health and more during their time of need.
Behind every number is a person, a family and a moment when a food service worker needed a support.
Thank you for helping us be there when food service workers Ask For Help. We’re so grateful you’re part of this community. 💙🧡
givingkitchen.org/help
WE’RE DOING IT AGAIN.🍴🔥
Join @GivingKitchen and the @AtlHawks for Forkside Seats, fueled by Georgia Natural Gas, on Sunday, November 1 at @StateFarmArena.
A True to Atlanta culinary experience featuring 30+ chefs, restaurants and beverage partners, dinner on the arena floor, a live auction and music, all supporting food service workers in crisis.
Dine Forkside and support Giving Kitchen’s vital work of offering stability and dignity to food service workers in crisis. Since 2013, Giving Kitchen has helped more than 41,000 food service workers — including more than 8,000 children in their households — and awarded more than $17 million in financial assistance, with support now reaching workers in all 50 states.
🎟️ Get your tickets at the link in bio: GivingKitchen.org/ForksideSeats
From the line to the dish pit to the bar, food service workers pour their hearts into serving our communities. 🧡
When life hands them a crisis, Giving Kitchen is here with financial assistance and connections to Stability Network resources, so no one in our industry has to face hard times alone.
The bravest thing you can do is Ask For Help. Click the link in our bio to get started: GivingKitchen.org/help.
Know someone in food service who might need this? Share this post with them. You never know who`s quietly going through something.
For a food service worker in crisis, knowing where to turn for help matters. And language should never be a barrier.
Giving Kitchen’s bilingual case managers and support system help us communicate with food service workers in 180+ languages, so more people can access the support and resources available to them.
Know a food service worker who could use support? Ask For Help at the link in our bio.
Help us spread the word: Giving Kitchen is here to help food service workers.
Yesterday, you said thank you. And WOW, did you say it BIG!! 💙🧡
Thank you for filling the feeds with gratitude for the people who make our industry so special. It was amazing to see thousands of food service establishments and food service supporters come together with one common goal: say thank you.
But gratitude shouldn’t be reserved for one day!
Every day, there are 15.7 million food service workers showing up to cook our meals, share their talents, pour our coffee, serve our tables, wash our dishes, open our restaurants, and keep this industry moving.
They deserve our gratitude yesterday, on Giving Kitchen’s #NationalFoodServiceWorkerDay. And today. And tomorrow. And the next day.
Say thank you, daily. Tip graciously. Tell a food service worker what they mean to you. And when someone in our industry needs a little extra support, help spread the word about Giving Kitchen`s mission.
Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.
givingkitchen.org
#FSWDay
💚 One last thank you! Today, we celebrated the people who make this industry so special, from cooks and servers to baristas, dishwashers, bartenders, managers, and everyone in between.
As our final post of #NationalFoodServiceWorkerDay, we’re sharing a clip of Chef Ryan Hidinger reflecting on his personal industry story and culinary vision from a @CreativeMornings Atlanta talk in June 2013.
More than a decade later, his words still resonate. From the early days of Giving Kitchen to more than 40,000 food service workers supported, this community has continued to show up, rally around one another, and believe in what’s possible.
“Anything long-lasting or worthwhile takes time and complete surrender.”
— Chef Ryan Hidinger
Today was about you. Thank you for showing up, feeding us, welcoming us, celebrating with us, and making this industry what it is.
And if you’re not quite ready to stop celebrating, we don’t blame you!!
Keep sharing your gratitude with #FSWDay and tag @givingkitchen.
Here’s to the food service workers who deserve our thanks today, and every day. 🧡
🔗 Learn more about Giving Kitchen’s origin story and watch the full talk through the link in our bio.
Food service is more than a job. It’s skill. It’s care. It’s hospitality. It’s a love language.
Every time we sit down for a meal, grab a coffee, celebrate a special occasion, or walk into a place that makes us feel welcome, someone is behind that experience, making it happen.
Food service workers matter because they make the experiences we love possible.
Today, we’re especially grateful to Samantha Gemini Stevens (@wishboneandvine) for putting words to what makes this community so special.
And to every person who cooks, serves, hosts, bartends, cleans, delivers, and cares for us every day, thank you.
Have a food service worker you’re grateful for? Thank them in person, snap a photo together, and post your thank-you. Tag @GivingKitchen and help us fill the feeds with gratitude for the people who make our days, meals, and communities better. 💙🧡
#FSWDay #NationalFoodServiceWorkerDay
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.
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.
Read the Recap
Giving Kitchen (GK) is a nonprofit organization that provides emergency assistance to food service workers through financial support and a network of community resources. Their goal is to create a food service community in which crises are met with compassion and care. Giving Kitchen is a James Beard Humanitarian of the Year award winner and Fast Company’s 2022 Brands That Matter. Since its inception, GK has served over 40,000 food service workers and awarded over $18 million in financial assistance.
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