Proven Methods for CAN-do Results!

First of all, if this challenge is not both fun and voluntary, then you are doing it wrong! I am truly not trying to add any extra stress to your holiday season, I'll take that upon myself!
To keep the drive fun, I want to remind you that this challenge is not geared to take away from your corporate profits and I certainly do not expect for you to give food from your restaurant pantry. And I most certainly do not expect for your restaurant guests to bring food to contribute.

THIS FOOD DRIVE IS GEARED TOWARD SERVERS, BARTENDERS, CHEFS and OTHER EMPLOYEES. I would like these individuals to donate food from their own kitchen pantries, or to purchase food items from their own tips and salaries.

There are some proven ways to generate food donations from your staff. The best way to do this is to remove yourself from the equation if you are an owner or manager! Ask a server with alot of personality, one whom almost everyone likes, to take control of the challenge. Let that person bring up the challenge during the daily line-up; let that person motivate the other employees.

This year's challenge will consist of five Fridays. Those days can be "Canned-Food Friday". Ask the staff members to bring their cans in to work on that day. Allow the server with the most cans to dictate her own station or sidework. If she wants to go home early for a hot date, she will bring the most cans. If she needs the money to buy Mom a special something, she might donate everything in her pantry.

Sometimes a restaurant has no place to store the donation. A solution: one restaurant collected in the trunk of a car. Or if this is not a feasible solution, I am available to pick-up the donation as many times as you need.

Another proven method is to require employees to bring a food donation to the employee Christmas party. You might offer a prize to the employee who brings the most, maybe a free bar tab for that night, or gift certificate for the restaurant. Or if your place wins one of the larger prizes, that employee would automatically be the recipient.

Most of the fine-dining restaurants in Norfolk have a hard time providing more than the minimum donation. These employees make "bank", but seem unable to help with this food drive, possibly because of ties with other charities. So for these individuals I ask this: every time you break $100 in tips, please put aside a quarter. If you make $300 during one shift, you put aside a meager 75 cents. Since alot of you make this kind of money daily, I only ask for you to do it on a Friday or Saturday night. Assign one person in your restaurant to purchase the non-perishable goods, say spaghetti, and soon you will have enough weight to be entered for the prize drawings!

Of course, you can always put a box by the front door and ask your "regulars" to donate. However, many restaurants feel odd about asking their paying guests to bring food, or they feel the box clashes with the decor of the restaurant. I understand these feelings. Again, the drive is not focused on your diners, it is your staff I would like to see contribute.

Finally, and this is just and idea, you might ask for a donation as a cover charge for a popular night at your bar/restaurant. Or your BAND or KARAOKE emcee might mention the collection during a performance.

This should be fun and voluntary. During the drive I will be available by phone as often as possible ( I have a job!), but will return all messages. I can come by to pick up your donation on a regular basis if you need to get it out of the way. I can provide you with boxes and posters if necessary.

I am always surprised by the creativity of the participants!