The pledge was announced as part of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s (NRAEF) launch of “Restaurants Advance,” a national fundraising campaign to help current and future restaurant workers access the education and training they need to put their job or career back on track.
Since March 2020, over two million workers have lost their jobs, salaries, and opportunities to advance. The National Restaurant Association reports that 110,000 or 17% of restaurants have closed permanently and or long-term, the vast majority of permanently closed restaurants were well-established businesses and fixtures in their communities.
Working alongside its partner organization, the Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance (MFHA), the NRAEF’s Restaurants Advance campaign focuses on three key support areas benefitting both restaurant workers and operators:
- Restaurants Advance Futures – programs to attract, empower and advance diverse talent pursuing a future in the restaurant, foodservice and hospitality industry.
- Restaurants Advance Communities – helping employers and communities create opportunities through first job skills training, apprenticeships and professional development.
- Restaurants Advance Entrepreneurship – putting people from all backgrounds on a pathway to restaurant ownership and/or an executive level leadership position.
“We are grateful for the strong support of Constellation Brands as we kick-off Restaurants Advance and lead this vital industry and its workforce into a new era of hope and opportunity,” said Rob Gifford, NRAEF president.
“Many of our retail partners, particularly local restaurants and their employees, have been significantly impacted by this terrible virus,” said Bill Newlands, Constellation Brands’ president/CEO. “We are proud to partner with the NRAEF and play a role in helping to rebuild the industry, and we believe that starts with the people who serve as its backbone.
“Our hope is to not only help rebuild the industry’s workforce with talented and diverse individuals to position it for future growth, but also to help bring financial security through enhanced employment opportunities to the thousands who have been impacted financially by the pandemic.”