Industry, government, and community leaders unite to build career pathways through HOPES and Restaurant Ready workforce programs at 2025 Hospitality Pathways Conference

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The restaurant industry demonstrated a compelling blueprint for community-driven workforce solutions during the 2025 Hospitality Pathways Conference, hosted by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation late last week in Washington, D.C. Emphasizing the career-building skills and pathways that the restaurant industry offers as America's second-largest private sector employer, the event convened more than 150 leaders from across the restaurant and hospitality industry, local government agencies, and community-based organizations to spotlight how cross-sector collaboration is transforming lives and building a future-ready restaurant workforce.

The third annual conference told the story of how the Foundation's restaurant workforce development initiatives – including Hospitality Opportunities for People (Re)Entering Society (HOPES) and Restaurant Ready – leverage state restaurant association partners and a network of community-based organizations and local government agencies to maximize impact. Both initiatives equip individuals from non-traditional education backgrounds – including people with justice-involvement, opportunity youth, and people with disabilities – with the skills, certifications, and ongoing support to start and advance through a restaurant industry career.

"HOPES and Restaurant Ready are deeply rooted in the communities that restaurants serve, changing lives by equipping people of all backgrounds with the tools to enter our industry and build a future that works for them," said Michelle Korsmo, President & CEO of the National Restaurant Association and CEO of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. "Through the innovation of our state restaurant association partners and the collaboration of community and government stakeholders, programs like HOPES and Restaurant Ready are leading the way in building a future-ready restaurant workforce." 

Over two days of workshops and storytelling, Hospitality Pathways Conference attendees explored best practices and tools in implementing a community collaborative model. The model is a hallmark of Restaurant Ready – which equips people with first-job skills through its network of state restaurant association partners and 87 community based organizations.

Discussion and content also explored the unique level of public-private cooperation needed to bring justice-involved populations into restaurant industry careers through HOPES. The program, which engages people with a justice background through skill-based training, mentorship, and employment, is currently implemented across 20 state government partners that include local correction departments. This year, HOPES is expanding across 12 states, thanks to two new grants totaling $9.1 million from the U.S. Department of Labor. To-date, the initiative has impacted more than 1,200 people, with 85% of them receiving restaurant-specific occupational skills training and over 60% placed in employment roles.

"What makes HOPES unique is that it's community-based and community-focused," said Kenna M., a HOPES participant from Delaware. "It goes into the trenches. It's aware of where the need is."

The 2025 Hospitality Pathways Conference was made possible through the generous support of partners including Constellation Brands, Darden Foundation, Dawn Food Products, Journey for Good Foundation by Avolta, Fat Brands Foundation, PepsiCo Away From Home, PepsiCo Foundation, Rich Family Foundation, and Yum! Brands Foundation.

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's 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. 

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SOURCE National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation