California Restaurant Foundation

Educational assistance through scholarships for students interested in the Restaurant and hospitality industries.

Restaurants care launched in 2017 to provide releif grants to Restaurant workers facing unforseen hardship. By helping with the cost of living expenses due to injury, illness, accident, family death or natural disaster, crf unites the industry to award one-time crisis grants to members of California's Restaurant community. The covid-19 pandemic devastated the Restaurant industry and restaurants care was proud to help many workers get back on their feet during that crisis. Crf provides a support network of resources for additional assistance to food and beverage workers. Restaurants care is a safety net for those at the heart of restaurants and foodservice. In 2021 crf expanded restaurants care to provide grants to small independent restaurants with a priority given to people of color and women-owned restaurants.crf created the grateful table and the grateful table dine out fundraisers as an additional source to raise funds for restaurants care. Other sources of funding include personal donations, corporate partnerships, event sponsorships, grants, giving crew and events. The grateful table is a communal dinner celebration featuring celebrated chefs, live music, a twilight reception in the garden, and a dessert bar under the stars. The grateful table dine out is a marketing campaign in november to drive traffic to restaurants and support restaurants care.

Create a brand of excellence in training for hospitality industry jobs by supporting prostart programs through the state of California in high schools. To create a new generation of restaurateurs by fueling a desire in young people to enter the Restaurant community.crf supports tomorrow's culinary talent and Restaurant business leaders and promotes workforce enrichment programs. This is accomplished through prostart, the industry-driven program for high school students which addresses the need for an educated and trained labor force in California. Graduates who have completed the two-year program are prepared with real-world job skills, life skills, job readiness training and an entrepreneurial spirit that leads to a successful career track. Additionally, students who choose to pursue higher education are eligible for state and national scholarships. Crf collaborates with industry leaders to provide soft-skill job readiness training,competitions, mentoring, speaking in classrooms, and hosting student field trips on-site. Crf strives to build awareness of the industry and hopes to encourage and inspire young people to choose the Restaurant and hospitality industry as a career of choice. In addition, out of twenty current 9th graders, six will drop out of high school, six will go directly to work after high school and eight will become college freshmen. Dropping out of high school is related to a number of negative outcomes. Dropouts are less likely to be in the labor force than those with a high school credential. Students are motivated to stay in school and graduate because: they want to be successful in life; they want to have a good job; they want to attend college; and, they want to be good role models for their parents and siblings. The prostart program of crf is designed to capture the interest and engage the minds of young people who might otherwise be struggling staying in school. Learning the culinary and management skills taught by our prostart class provides practical skills for success.crf serves 140 prostart programs with 13,500 students. 50% of prostart students surveyed said prostart is a major reason why they come to school every day. 91% of prostart students credit prostart for teaching them job readiness skills. Through crf/prostart events 73% of students feel better prepared to apply for college and 36% are more likely to study hospitality management/culinary.