Front Burner Restaurants launches non-profit Furlough Kitchen to feed 1,000 out-of-work hospitality industry workers a day

Front Burner Restaurants is used to feeding thousands of customers each day at concepts such as The Ranch at Las Colinas, Haywire, Whiskey Cake Kitchen, 60 Vines and Mexican Sugar, but with those dining rooms closed, the company is redeploying some of its manpower to run a new non-profit kitchen that will feed a thousand people a day.

Furlough Kitchen (4318 Eastside Ave., Dallas) is a curbside, pick-up kitchen that serves individually packaged meals to furloughed hospitality workers Monday through Saturday, from noon to 5 p.m. , without respect to where those workers were formerly employed. Any furloughed or unemployed hospitality worker is eligible to pick up one free meal a day.

Furlough Kitchen ‘s mission is two-fold: keep Front Burner staff employed and busy while also doing good for the community. The project is a collaboration between Front Burner Restaurants, CitySquare and Front Burner’s catering arm, Vestals Catering Company.

Randy DeWitt, CEO of Front Burner Restaurants, said in an email that his staff have gained valuable experience this week by focusing on pick-up, to-go meals sold at their DFW restaurants. That’s “allowed us to continue to employ about 8% of our staff and provide a free daily meal to all of our furloughed team. We are deeply committed to the welfare of every person in our hospitality industry and as community leaders, we are focused on utilizing our resources to help these men and women in this time of need.”

Front Burner Restaurants is looking for partners and sponsors to help defray costs. They’re hoping vendors, restaurant owners and concerned individuals and companies will step up.

“Every dollar you donate will ensure we can continue to provide meals to the very people that have served you for years, in many of your favorite establishments,” DeWitt said. “Your donation will foster hope for the future of our industry and give back to this industry’s reputation for giving everything it’s got.”

Details on how to help are at www.furloughkitchen.org or click HERE.