Ways Restaurants Can Honor Veterans in Their Community

November is a time to appreciate those who have served and who are current members of the military. With many in the community who might want to dine out on November 11th, make sure your restaurant is ready for military families and local veterans. Below are some ways restaurants can honor veterans in their community, so you can give back to those who have given to their country.

Offer Special Discounts and Freebies

Who doesn’t love saving money? As a thank you to those who’ve served, offer exclusive deals or freebies to active-duty military and veterans. This can range from deep discounts to complimentary meals to free menu items and more. Just make sure your guests of honor show military identification of some kind so they can rake in the savings. Additionally, you can extend these deals to immediate family members of military vets.

Support Veteran-Focused Charitable Organizations

One of the best ways to honor military members past and present is to support veteran-focused organizations. There are a multitude of charities, relief funds, training courses and other coalitions that solely help active military members and vets. Find one that’s local in your area or choose one to support that means the most to you and your staff. If one of your employees is a vet, consult them to see if there’s one that would be beneficial. Or if you can’t decide on one, pick a couple to split your donation between. You can find one with this comprehensive list from the Military Veteran Project.

Once you’ve chosen an organization to support, you can then donate a portion of earnings from your Veterans Day or Remembrance Day service to that charity. Alternatively, you can take a percentage of each bill and donate that. Make sure your customers know by informing them of your chosen organization to support and encouraging them to help out further if they can.

Create a Special Menu

Make a special, limited menu for Veterans Day that features staff picks, your restaurant’s top specialties or brand new items. This not only makes the day special for veterans and their families, but it also helps you streamline the preparation process—especially if you know you’re going to be busy. And as an added bonus, you can incorporate this special menu into any Veterans day or Remembrance Day discounts or specials you’re running.

Host a Hiring Event for Veterans

A great way to support veterans in your community is by hosting a hiring event for former military members. This opportunity gives vets work experience to utilize in their non-military career, and can give unemployed vets income and benefits. You can even reach out to local job placement organizations for vets and let them know you’re looking to hire.

Dress for the Occasion

On Remembrance Day or Veterans Day, show some additional respect by letting your staff dress for the occasion. If you’re in the United States, consider handing out American flag pins or ribbons for employees to wear on their uniforms; for those in the British commonwealth like Canada, have paper poppies at the ready. These are both important symbols that showcase respect and reflection.

Teach the Restaurant Trade at Veterans Center

They say “knowledge is power,” and there’s certainly a lot of empowering knowledge in the restaurant industry. So consider sharing some of that knowledge with veterans at your local veteran or adult education centers, as Military.com suggests. You or your most trusted, senior employees can teach anything from chef skills, serving, bartending, front-of-house and back-of-house management and overall restaurant general management. This way you can give back to the veteran community by teaching them valuable trade skills that they can then apply to a new job or help them further their non-military career.

Profile Employees Who Are Veterans on Social Media

If you or any staff members are veterans, create spotlight posts on your social media pages that detail their time in service, their hobbies outside of work, and other tidbits. Not only is this an excellent way to let your followers recognize former military members, but it also lets them know who they are in addition to being a veteran.