No Kid Hungry Campaign: Denny’s and Share Our Strength
Denny’s restaurants serve millions of people across the country through its 1,700 restaurants in all 50 states. But thanks to their ongoing partnership with the Share Our Strength No Kid Hungry program, the company also knows that one in seven children in the United States will be hungry. Since 2011, the company has taken pride in partnership with a nonprofit that has a shared mission of feeding children.
To date, Denny’s has raised $9 million for No Kid Hungry, but in 2019, the company rolled out the program with an effort to raise more than ever. It succeeded. Their objectives included raising money but also driving guest traffic to their restaurants and engaging employees.
To kick off the program, No Kid Hungry representatives attended the franchise convention two weeks before the campaign began. Share Our Strength CEO Billy Shore was on hand to personally thank franchise owners and managers who enjoyed a photo booth sponsored by No Kid Hungry at their welcome reception. These efforts throughout the four-day event enabled No Kid Hungry to thank and engage employees at the highest levels of Denny’s –from the C-Suite to the franchisees and key vendors –a few days before the kick-off of their fundraising campaign, which encouraged customers to make a $3 donation and receive $15 worth of coupons for use in Denny’s restaurants.
All employees received training about the program, akin to the introduction of a new menu item.
All Denny’s restaurants across the United States (nearly 1,700) participated in the 2019 No Kid Hungry fundraising campaign–raising more than $2 million. The number one fundraising restaurant raised $21,367, and more than 30 restaurants raised over $5,000 in their stores. Additionally, in 2019 nearly 45% of stores raised $1,000 or more for No Kid Hungry, compared to less than 40% in 2017 and only 21% in 2016. These numbers are a testament to the strong alignment between Denny’s and No Kid Hungry, the many years of partnership, and showcase diner’s desire to give to a cause that resonates with them.
