The Most Charitable Chain Restaurants In America

Many of today's restaurant chains have some sort of charity or, at the very least, make donations to special causes. And hey, the restaurant industry in the United States really rakes it in — per Statista, it made $283 billion in 2020 — so, it's a no-brainer that there's plenty of money to spare. And, let's face it: It helps that being charitable usually results in excellent press coverage for each company that decides to go the donation route.

One of the more recent ways that restaurants have helped their local communities is through hosting fundraisers for schools and other nonprofit organizations. GroupRaise lists Papa John's, Applebee's, and On the Border as a few chains that donate up to 40% of sales to their partnered organization.

While we appreciate every cent that restaurant chains help distribute to people and organizations in need, we also love recognizing the restaurants that go above and beyond to help their communities. Let's look at some of the most giving restaurant chains in America.

Compared to other national restaurant chains, Jersey Mike's is on the somewhat smaller end in terms of locations and revenue. To illustrate, Jersey Mike's earned $255.4 million in revenue in 2020, according to the Franchise Times; per Macrotrends, McDonald's earned $19.20 billion the same year. Despite its smaller earnings and fewer locations, Jersey Mike's holds its own as a charitable organization. One of its most well-known programs is its Day of Giving, which it holds annually on the last Wednesday of March. The Day of Giving is when 100% of the company's sales go straight to nonprofits. In 2022, the company raised $20 million for the Special Olympics USA Games just from its one-day charity event.

The New Jersey-based restaurant chain doesn't stop with its Day of Giving, from which it's raised more than $47 million since its start in 2011. Jersey Mike's also partners with Wreaths Across America, an organization that raises funds to place wreaths on all Arlington National Cemetery gravesites. When Jersey Mike's customers donate to the charity, the company matches up to $500,000 of donations.

Chipotle's vision says it all: "We believe that food has the power to change the world." The food chain sticks by its values by crafting Mexican-inspired quick meals with real ingredients and organic produce. It even makes sure its materials are as good for the planet as its ingredients are for your body by reducing plastic waste and recycling. Its Chipotle Cultivate Foundation focuses on improving food sustainability through innovative processes and donations to family farms, research, education, and other efforts that target sustainability.

The company continues to change the world through not just its food and sustainability efforts, but also its philanthropy. One way it does that is by hosting events with local organizations, such as schools and sports teams, and donating a portion of its event revenue to the organizations. According to Chipotle, the company gives back a whopping 33% of event sales and has hosted more than 303,000 community events as of April 2022.

Ruby Tuesday was founded in 1972, and it's had several charitable moments through the years, despite also being the subject of several scandals. In 2011, a Michigan Ruby Tuesday gave 20% of its profits from several Sundays to the local Habitat for Humanity. According to a Business Wire press release, in 2012, the company donated a total of $80,000 to the Red Cross to aid with superstorm Sandy's relief efforts. And year after year, Ruby Tuesday celebrates National Lemonade Day by not only selling their lemonades at a discounted price, but by giving money to No Kid Hungry. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, FSR reported the restaurant chain expanded its do-good efforts by matching all donations to provide meals for first responders and healthcare providers. They also collected donations from diners.

Ruby Tuesday's diverse giving profile grew even larger in 2021, when it signed on to support Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which donates close to two million books monthly to kids, per Business Wire. Through the holiday season, Ruby Tuesday customers received a Dolly-approved keepsake book when they donated to the organization. 

Many of Burger King's locations are owned by franchisees, which allows each location some wiggle room as to how they'd like to host charity events or support their local communities through donations. Still, the company as a whole works to improve communities across the nation through relief efforts and educational support through The Burger King Foundation. The nonprofit gifts scholarships to eligible students and employees, donates funds to improve literacy, and provides monetary and hands-on support to libraries in India.

BK Benefit Nights also occur across the U.S. on various nights through the year to support organizations in local communities. The events give partnered organizations 20% of their sales.

Interestingly enough, the king-of-burgers chain even helped McDonald's with its charitable efforts, despite being long-term fast food competitors. In 2021, Burger King restaurants in Poland helped McDonald's boost funds for its Ronald McDonald House Charities by offering a free burger to any customer who bought fries from McDonald's. The point was to increase sales at McDonald's, which gave one Polish Zloty to the foundation for every fry order sold, per The Drum.

Boston Market has made it clear over the years that its prime mission in terms of charity is to help children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. It's through long-term work with Give Kids the World, a nonprofit organization that treats these families to free experiences that they can remember forever, that Boston Market continues to make a difference. The restaurant chain became a sponsor of the nonprofit in 2008 and remains one of nine today, joining the ranks of Walt Disney World Resort and SeaWorld Orlando.

In March 2011, Fast Casual reported that when Boston Market made over $800,000 selling coupon books, that cash went right to the organization. On the company website, Boston Market promises at least $500,000 each year to Give Kids the World.

That's in addition to the other ways the chain helps its communities. Boston Market offers a few different ways for communities and organizations to fundraise, such as requesting catered dinners or hosting a restaurant night.

The Cheesecake Factory started as a family-operated cheesecake shop, and eventually grew into a popular restaurant chain with a seemingly never-ending menu. One of the ways The Cheesecake Factory thanks local communities for turning the eatery into the famous dining spot it is today is by giving back. The Cheesecake Factory Oscar & Evelyn Overton Charitable Foundation was founded in 2001 to help a number of efforts, donating millions of dollars to causes like hunger relief and cancer research.

As Cleveland.com reported in 2020, to celebrate National Cheesecake Day that year (it's July 30, mark your calendar accordingly), The Cheesecake Factory gave a dollar to Feeding America for every piece of cheesecake sold. To sweeten its gift, it continued donating $0.25 per slice for a year. The eatery also created the Nourish Program to donate unsold food to food banks and other organizations.

Starbucks has made its presence known through its support of social causes over the years, such hiring refugees in the wake of Donald Trump's travel ban. Starbucks is also big on charity, which it makes possible via The Starbucks Foundation, an organization that was founded in 1997. The foundation makes a global impact on social issues through its grants and other programs. For instance, its Neighborhood Grants program gifts up to $10,000 in grants to local organizations nominated by their communities. And the company has committed to investing in at least 250,000 women by 2025 by partnering with the Malala Fund to support education for young women.

Starbucks also dove head-first into relief efforts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, teaming up with Direct Relief to give coffee and $500,000 to frontline workers. In April 2020, Starbucks also donated more than $3 million to support charities like the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund and Give2Asia. The company also gifted United Way Worldwide with $250,000 for its pandemic fund to help people in need receive financial and social services.

Chili's — known for its affordable meals and casual atmosphere — has had a long-standing relationship with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Since 2002, the restaurant has made its partnership well-known through its charitable donations and fundraisers in each of its restaurants. As of 2022, the company has helped raise more than $77 million for the hospital. Of course, Chili's has donated its fair share, too, such as a pledge of $30 million over six years beginning in 2016 to support the St. Jude School Program, per Philanthropy News Digest.

Although the St. Jude partnership is Chili's primary focus, the company also accepts donation requests for local organizations and offers all-day fundraisers, with 15% of sales going straight to the hosting organization. In addition, the Golden Pepper Program is a meal voucher situation that partners with schools and doctors offices to encourage kids' attendance, per Quality Dining, Inc. What's more, Chili's supports veterans through free Veterans' Day meals and programs like Wreaths Across America and Feed our Vets, and women leaders through its Women Take the Lead program.