On March 24, 2021—exactly one year after its official launch—The Great American Takeout is returning to aid restaurants that have been hit hard by the pandemic. Joined by the restaurants that helped kickstart it and the sponsors who kept it going, The Great American Takeout is calling on consumers to order a takeout or delivery meal on March 24 and share a photo on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #TheGreatAmericanTakeout.

For every takeout order shared socially on March 24, The Great American Takeout’s sponsors will donate $10 to the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) and Children of Restaurant Employees (CORE) to support restaurant workers and their families. Rich Products, The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Nestlé Professional, Tyson Foods, Constellation Brands, Smithfield Foods, Keurig Dr Pepper, IFMA, and GP Pro have pledged to donate up to $555,000 combined. 

Global, family-owned food company Rich Products has been a decades-long supporter of the NRAEF and a proud partner of The Great American Takeout since its inception. To continue its support, Rich’s pledged to donate an additional $25,000 to the NRAEF, bringing its total contribution from The Great American Takeout to $75,000.

Taking takeout further

To further its support for The Great American Takeout and provide an additional lift to the restaurant industry, Rich’s is surprising nearly 8,750 of its associates with “lunch on us”—an activation that will fuel nearly $125,000 back into the industry to directly support restaurants across the country.

On March 24, Rich’s U.S. and Canada manufacturing, office, field, and remote associates will receive lunch, courtesy of Rich’s. Nearly 7,000 of Rich’s manufacturing associates across 29 locations will receive lunch from a restaurant in their local community, while an additional 1,750 associates, hundreds of which are based in Buffalo, will receive a digital gift card to order a meal from a local restaurant.

“If there’s one thing this pandemic has shown us it is that great impact can come from shared ideas, support and commitment,” said Kevin Spratt, senior vice president, Group Business Channels, Rich Products. “The Great American Takeout is a testament to exactly that and it’s been energizing to see this groundswell of support for the restaurant industry build over the past year. Foodservice is such an important part of our business and we’re proud to use our collective impact to directly support our customers.”  

Since the pandemic began, more than 110,000 restaurants and bars have closed nationwide, resulting in the loss of 2.5 million jobs. At the same time, millions of restaurants, operators, owners and employees have defied the odds to keep their kitchens cooking. The Great American Takeout anniversary event is a simple way consumers can support the industry on its road to recovery.    

“The past year has been devastating to the restaurant industry,” said Rob Gifford, president, NRAEF. “We’re grateful to The Great American Takeout and its sponsors for supporting restaurants and restaurant workers as the industry works tirelessly to rebuild.” 

The Great American Takeout, a program developed by Los Angeles Advertising Agency High Wide & Handsome, officially launched on March 24, 2020. What was expected to be a one-day event evolved into 16 separate events resulting in an outpouring of support for restaurants across the country. Through these collective events, The Great American Takeout has reached more than 117 million people and raised $900,000 for charitable organizations supporting the restaurant industry.

For more information about The Great American Takeout, visit https://thegreatamericantakeout.com/.