PR&LA Fall 2018

Fall 2018 • PENNSYLVANIA RESTAURANT & LODGING matters •  13 Industry of Goodness “Being a good neighbor is simply good for business,” wrote Jim Fris, PRLA vice chairman and COO of PJW Restaurant Group, for FSR Magazine this summer. “Community outreach remains one of our guiding principles and is fully ingrained in our culture. By supporting causes and groups that our customers care about, we’ve gained an enormous amount of attention, respect, and all-around trust.” One of PJW Restaurant Group’s most well-known and longest running charitable efforts is the Shamrock Fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House. It runs February through March, encourages friendly competition between locations, and makes it easy for customer to participate. In 2017, they presented a check for $136,000. America’s restaurants serve more than meals—the National Restaurant Association research found that 94 percent of restaurants make charitable contributions and their charitable giving adds up to $3 BILLION (with a “B”) a year. Their charitable giving takes many forms—from designating a percentage-of-sales day to donating surplus food to a food bank to holding events to benefit a cause or charity and more. The American Hotel & Lodging Association found in its biennial lodging survey that 85 percent of hotels contribute to charity, make in-kind contributions, and donate volunteer hours by their employees. Our members give back to their communities in numerous ways. In this issue of Restaurant & Lodging Matters , we are pleased to share with you a few stories of Pennsylvania’s Industry of Goodness. ➔ “Community outreach remains one of our guiding principles and is fully ingrained in our culture. By supporting causes and groups that our customers care about, we’ve gained an enormous amount of attention, respect, and all-around trust.” Jim Fris PRLA Vice Chairman COO of PJW Restaurant Group