Submit nominations for awards in leadership, community engagement, and lifetime achievement by visiting ChooseRestaurants.org

Washington, DC – June 3, 2025 – Nominations are now open through June 30 for the 2025 Restaurants Advance Leadership Awards, created by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation to recognize the restaurant industry’s leading innovators, transformers, and visionaries. Nominate a deserving restaurant leader today at ChooseRestaurants.org/LeadershipAwards.

The annual awards highlight the impact of the restaurant industry in communities across America – brought to life through the people who call the industry home – and support the Foundation’s mission of changing lives and championing career opportunities for the restaurant workforce. Individual award winners will be recognized for their unique and pivotal work and will have a $2,500 scholarship established in their name.

Nomination categories include:

Inclusion Innovator Award – Recognizes an innovative individual who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in the use of cultural intelligence to improve his or her operation’s team or guest experience and to promote growth in their community and the overall industry.

Community Champion Leadership Award, Presented by American Express – Honors restaurants for their significant and measurable contributions made to the communities and neighborhoods in which they do business. Honorees of this award make lasting, positive impacts in the community through charitable donations, fundraising, volunteerism and community support, and are expected to embrace qualities of professionalism, hospitality, civic-mindedness and care for their community.

Thad and Alice Eure Ambassador of Hospitality Award, Presented by Ecolab – Honors a person who shows extraordinary achievement and exemplary leadership in the industry. The recipient reflects the Foundation’s mission and uses his or her leadership to enhance the stature of the industry through community service and philanthropy.

My Journey Leadership Award, Presented by PepsiCo – Recognizes an individual who has excelled – both personally and professionally – in the restaurant industry, made a positive impact, set high standards as a leader and mentor, and created opportunities for others.

“People are the heart and soul of the restaurant industry, magnifying its impact by investing in the people and communities we serve,” said Rob Gifford, president of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. “We are pleased to partner with American Express, Ecolab, and PepsiCo in sharing the stories of industry leaders who are making a difference and changing lives through the power of the restaurant industry.”

Full nomination details, including FAQs, for the 2025 Restaurants Advance Leadership Awards can be found at ChooseRestaurants.org/LeadershipAwards. Individuals can nominate themselves or someone they know, and make nominations in more than one category. Nominations close at midnight on June 30, and all winners will be notified in August.

About The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) 

As the supporting philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association, the NRAEF’s charitable mission includes enhancing the industry’s training and education, career development, and community engagement efforts. The NRAEF and its programs work to Attract, Empower, and Advance today and tomorrow’s restaurant and foodservice workforce. NRAEF programs include: ProStart® – a high-school career and technical education program; Restaurant Ready/HOPES – Partnering with community based organizations to provide people with skills training and job opportunities; Military – helping military servicemen and women transition their skills to restaurant and foodservice careers; Scholarships – financial assistance for students pursuing restaurant, foodservice and hospitality degrees; and the Restaurant & Hospitality Leadership Center (RHLC) – accredited apprenticeship programs designed to build the careers of service professionals. For more information on the NRAEF, visit ChooseRestaurants.org. Click here for the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s 2024 Annual Impact Report.

CONTACT:

Hannah Oliver
holiver@nraef.org