Mission

Most often, statements written during the last few months begin with, “in these unprecedented times.” The idea, of course, “is” to stress the abnormality of the situation we all find ourselves in and to highlight the singularity of this moment. And when it comes to our restaurants, to our kitchens, and to the chain of vendors and farmers that support the food industry, this could not be more true. Within days, we found ourselves laying off our teams, emptying our walk-ins, breaking supply chains and closing our doors to our communities. How restaurants have been affected by the public health crisis of COVID-19 has been truly singular.

There is, however, another public crisis demanding our attention that is not isolated or singular. It is not a once in a generation event unlike the disease, it did not, and has not, come as a surprise. Instead, as protesters take to the streets across the country, we are reminded of ongoing systemic racism and oppression against Black and Brown communities.

As a result of closures due to COVID-19, many restaurants have found themselves in positions of financial stress. We are unable to donate as we would have previously and in the amounts we know we should. And for many, there is a struggle between wanting to financially contribute and act and their ability to do so. In an effort to help smaller donations make a bigger impact, and to show support for the movements started by the Black community and continued by what we hope will be our entire industry and beyond, we are asking that on (insert date), restaurants and food establishments pledge 5% of sales toward a substantial donation to the NAACP on behalf of a united food community. 

Without question, the future of many of our restaurants, and even the industry itself, is unknown. But we do know some things about the future: we know from generations of oppression and systemic failures that if we do not protest, create a collective voice, vote, and put money and resources toward education and reform, then nothing will change and our co-workers, families, and community members will continue to struggle, face discrimination and die. 

Independent restaurants in America employ more than 10 million people. Our kitchens are often some of the most diverse workplaces in the country and our teams reflect that. We stand with our black community members — the farmers, chefs, food chain and restaurant workers, — who have felt the pain of this fight every day of their lives. We believe if we collectively pledge our support and our long term action, we will help to usher in a “new birth of freedom”, the America we’ve been fighting for for generations. 

This Saturday will not sustain this movement; that’s on all of us. But it is our first commitment in this new era of action. The undersigned, by participating in this single act of support, commits to the movement for true equality in America until it is done.