Stepping up to the Plate to Drive Out Hunger

Cheesecake Factory Pushes Companies to Take Leadership on CSR

Posted by Mark Mears on 11.09.09 @ 12:13 PM

Mark Mears

It's time we took a stand -- you, me and corporate America. It's time to stand for something bigger than quarterly earnings reports, P&L statements or government bailouts. America needs leadership now more than ever to help address and resolve some important challenges that face too many of us in this country.

While there are certainly many worthwhile social causes, I can think of none more important or more intrinsic to the fundamental dignity of human life in a civilized society than the issue of hunger in America -- that's right, in America. Right here within our borders, more than 36 million people -- many of whom are children or senior citizens living on a fixed income -- are considered food insecure, which means they don't always know where their next meal will come from. That's an astounding one in eight Americans -- truly a shame for a country that has so much.

In fact, we have been challenged by Frances Moore Lappe, the noted and influential author who has written several books on the subject of hunger, when she said, "The tragedy of hunger amidst plenty will only be averted if people -- like you and me -- decide to act."

Regardless of where we grew up or our sociopolitical ideologies, we share one key characteristic: our "human-ness." Unfortunately, given the economic realities we face, many corporate social responsibility programs are being placed on the chopping block, if they've not already been lost in favor of reinvesting what's left of limited budgets into short-term sales-building programs, or merely flowing those dollars directly to the bottom line.

At the Cheesecake Factory, we are known for our generous portion sizes. In fact, more than 72 million guests dine at the Cheesecake Factory each year. However, the sobering fact is there are many Americans in our own communities who lack the means to enjoy this kind of privilege. And while Feeding America, Share Our Strength and other national and local charities continue to do amazing work in this area, there is still a very sizable gap. Given the continued sluggishness of our economy, laboring under a staggering loss of both jobs and homes, demand for assistance has risen an astounding 30%. Unfortunately, this gap will likely continue to widen unless we all do something to help.

We partnered with Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger-relief charity, to develop an integrated, multifaceted program to involve each of our four key constituencies: our guests, our staff members, our shareholders and, of course, our communities.

Beginning Sept. 1, the Cheesecake Factory embarked on the monthlong coast-to-coast Drive Out Hunger Tour. Cheesecake lovers who visited our tour stops received a complimentary slice of Stefanie's Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake when they brought cans of soup to donate to local food banks. The tour stopped in 30 cities in 30 days, kicking off in Los Angeles on Sept. 1 and finishing in Washington, D.C., Sept. 30. Additionally, on Sept. 30, the You Dine, We'll Donate event invited guests at all 146 Cheesecake Factory locations to bring in two cans of soup in exchange for 10% of their check donated to local food banks.

Our original goal was to collect 100,000 cans of soup throughout the tour. I am very pleased to report we apparently didn't aim high enough as this goal was exceeded by more than three times that amount with a grand total of 321,992 cans of soup donated to local food banks across the U.S.

The photo mosaic is made up of individual photos of those who attended the events.

From California, to Washington, and every stop in between, we saw Americans – young, old and of all ethnicities -- coming together in support. There were scout troops; church groups; elementary, middle- and high-school students; and thousands of our own staff members, all rallying to support this cause. We were touched to see the enthusiasm for combating hunger in America by the Cheesecake Factory guests and staff members nationwide who donated those cans of soup in order to make a difference.

So it was only fitting that a former Cheesecake Factory staff member -- Tamar Kaprelian, who is now a budding musical talent performing on the Interscope label -- lent us one of her songs to serve as the anthem for our Drive Out Hunger Tour. How appropriate is the title of that song: "New Day." Indeed it is.

2 Comments

  By Francisco | Las Angeles, CA November 9, 2009 06:09:24 pm:

It's fantastic The Cheesecake Factory made this effort but if you're going to pat your own back publicly, be honest about the "accomplishment".

A quick calculation of the numbers posted on the Drive Out Hunger Tour website show approximately 25,000 cans were collected from all 30 cities. Throw in the 40,000 cans Cheesecake Factory employees "donated" and you're still under 100,000. Didn't aim high enough, huh? That sure seems a far cry from exceeding the goal by three hundred thousand.

It appears someone certainly did "step up to the plate".

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  By Rodney33 | FRISCO, TX November 10, 2009 12:42:52 am:

Thanks for sharing Mark, an inspirational program that not only generated a lot of cans of soup for food banks, but also raised awareness of a critical issue in our country, hunger.

The comment above made mention that the number of cans of soup raised at each location on the tour don't add up to the total raised that you reported in the article and on your web site. I would safely assume that this is because your site shows totals only from the tour which had 30 stops and doesn't account for the cans collected from all 146 stores on the special 10% discount day.

Regardless of the numbers, this was a good program for a good cause and I don't view this article as "patting yourself on the back," as the commentary above went on to say. Especially considering all the resources, time and money Cheesecake Factory donated to make it success.

It would have been much easier and more financially rewarding for Cheesecake Factory to simply discount the menu on a special day in recognition of customer appreciation, than to go to all the efforts it went through to give back. That alone speaks to the sincerity of the effort.

I found this article a good illustration of working hard to give back and build a better community. I believe, now more than ever, an effort like this should be applauded.

Rodney Mason, CMO
www.moosylvania.com
www.twitter.com/rodmoose

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