Letter to the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education regarding radio advertisement

Tom Layzell
President
Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
1024 Capital Center Drive, Suite 320
Frankfort KY 40601

August 28, 2003

Dear Dr. McCormick:

I am writing to express my serious concerns regarding a current radio advertisement by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (part of the Go Higher Kentucky: Education Pays campaign) which I strongly feel misrepresents the nation's 870,000 restaurants and their 11.7 million employees. America's restaurants are serving more than meals, they are serving opportunity, and to imply otherwise not only misrepresents the myriad opportunities in the restaurant industry, but demeans the many individuals who have chosen careers in this industry.
The ad features a narrator talking about jobs at the "Burger Doodle" restaurant, and implies that working at a restaurant is not desirable employment. I find it especially alarming that an organization promoting such an important issue as education would choose to disregard the importance of restaurant-industry careers. As the nation's largest private-sector employer, restaurants are the cornerstone of employment opportunities—for a year or for a career.

The restaurant industry provides job opportunities for millions of hard-working Americans, and for many, it provides a first job opportunity, basic job skills, and benefits, such as health insurance and 401K plans. It also offers countless opportunities for advancement and the first step towards owning one's own business—part of the "American Dream." Our research shows that nine out of 10 salaried restaurant employees started as hourly employees, representing an industry full of stories of individuals who started in the dish room and ended up in the Board room.

In addition, underscoring the significance of restaurant-and-hospitality industry jobs, many higher-education institutions across the country offer restaurant-and-hospitality courses and programs, and there are myriad scholarships awarded to culinary arts and hospitality students, including from the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF); working in the restaurant industry does certainly not exclude partaking in the higher education experience.

Restaurants take pride in being the cornerstone of career and employment opportunities for individuals of all ages and backgrounds. I hope that for future campaigns, you will portray the restaurant-and-hospitality industry for what it truly represents—opportunity.

Sincerely,

Steven C. Anderson
President and Chief Executive Officer
National Restaurant Association