Restaurant Ready

Starting People on a Path to Employment and Independence

Restaurant Ready is a national program dedicated to helping people acquire the basic job and life skills necessary to pursue jobs in the restaurant and hospitality industry, and jumpstart a pathway to independence.

How it Works

Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) partner with NRAEF and their State Restaurant Association (SRAs) to provide training in six work-ready competency areas defined by the hospitality industry.

These competencies are designed to help participants acquire the skills, discipline, and confidence to start a job and stay employed.

The State Restaurant Association links individuals to local employers and community-based organizations provide wrap-around services to eliminate any barriers to success.

Restaurant Ready Program Goals

  • Establish the hospitality industry as a suitable place for first jobs, and as a model of employment, development and advancement.
  • Foster collaboration between community organizations, state restaurant associations, and employers.
  • Secure additional resources to support people not currently connected to school or work.
  • Provide a national standard assessment for job-readiness skills.

Hospitality Pathways Project

With funding from the Kessler Foundation, this project aims to expand access for people with disabilities to Restaurant Ready work-readiness resources, as well as job and career opportunities.

Photo of culinary trainee in commercial kitchen

Get Your Organization Involved!

Connect with a member of our team or submit an inquiry to learn more about how you can get involved with Restaurant Ready.

Restaurant Ready Community Partners

Alvis, Inc Columbus OH
Anne Arundel Workforce Dev. Corp Baltimore MD
Boston ABCD Boston MA
Boys and Girls Club of Delaware Wilmington DE
Café Hope New Orleans LA
Café Reconcile New Orleans LA
Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unite (CSIU) Lewisburg PA
Chester County Food Bank/ Fresh Start Kitchen Exton PA
Community Teamwork (Lowell YouthBuild) Lowell MA
Community Work Services Boston MA
Community Works Denver CO
DC Central Kitchen Washington DC
Education and Training Connection Midland MI
EntreNous Youth Empowerment Services Compton CA
Findlay Culinary Training Cincinnati OH
Food Bank of Delaware Newark DE
Food Bank of Houston Houston TX
Food Bank of San Antonio San Antonio TX
Forge City Works Hartford CT
Fork Real Cafe Rapid City SD
Fossil Ridge High School Fort Collins CO
Fresher Sacramento Sacramento CA
Hugs Cafe McKinney TX
Impact Culinary (Industrial Council) Chicago IL
Lawrence Hall Chicago IL
Liberty’s Kitchen New Orleans LA
Loc Family Services Farmville VA
Manna – The Durango Soup Kitchen Durango CO
New Day Albuquerque NM
New Haven Adult Education Center New Haven CT
New Orleans Job Corps Center New Orleans LA
Noble High School North Berwick ME
OAR Richmond VA
Oasis Center Nashville TN
Ohio University Athens OH
Operation Able/Spectrum Human Services Detroit MI
Paving Great Futures San Diego CA
Peckham Human Services Flint & Lansing MI
Potomac Job Corps Center Washington, DC MD
Project New Start Wilmington DE
Rancho Cielo Salinas CA
Recipe For Change Winnetka IL
ROOT Salem MA
Safer Foundation Chicago IL
SEAT Center Schenectady NY
Service Workers Training and Education Partnership Silver Spring MD
Shreveport Job Corps Center Shreveport LA
Skills Academy Vocational Center Colorado Springs CO
St. Vincent DePaul Mission of Waterbury Waterbury CT
Sunflower Bakery Rockville MD
Teen Warehouse Wilmington DE
The Light House Bistro Annapolis MD
The Monkey and The Elephant Philadelphia PA
The Turn Around Place Chesapeake VA
Together We Bake Alexandria VA
Wilmington Job Corps Center Wilmington DE
Woodland Job Corps Center Woodland MD
Work Options for Women Denver CO
Zero Day Delton MI

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