Supporting “Where I Started” campaign highlights the professional foundation more than half of adults gained working their first jobs in restaurants

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ask people where they learned their first lessons in teamwork, responsibility, leadership, and service, and millions will give the same answer: a restaurant.

Today, the National Restaurant Association launched “Made in Restaurants,” a new national initiative celebrating the industry that has shaped people, skills, careers, and communities while being a driving engine of the economy. Built around first-hand stories and economic research, the initiative highlights a reality often overlooked: restaurants do far more than serve meals. They are essential gathering places in communities, while powering the economy, instilling work and leadership skills in the workforce, and building long-term careers as the nation’s second-largest private sector employer.

The initiative will bring this story of human connection and national impact to life through a series of campaigns, data-driven insights, and personal stories highlighting four dimensions of the restaurant industry’s impact:

• Community Cornerstones: Restaurants are where connection happens, memories are made, and communities take shape.
• Economic Powerhouses: Restaurants power America’s economy – creating jobs, generating revenue, and fostering American business through an uncompromising focus on the people they serve.
• America’s Training Ground: Restaurants are where America learns to work, lead, and dream big.
• Career Catalysts: Restaurants are where people build lifelong careers – offering clear paths from entry-level roles to leadership and long-term success.

Through stories, research, and community engagement, Made in Restaurants aims to spark a broader conversation about the essential role restaurants play in creating opportunity, building communities, and powering America.

“Restaurants are the heart of America,” said Michelle Korsmo, President & CEO of the National Restaurant Association. “They are where communities come together, entrepreneurs build businesses that strengthen neighborhoods, millions of people gain skills and experiences that shape their future, and others stay to build careers that last. Made in Restaurants unites this story of impact to show the foundational value that restaurants provide for each of our lives as well as our entire country.” 

The restaurant industry is a profound driver of America’s economy and culture. With annual sales topping $1.5 trillion, the industry is responsible for roughly 6% of annual GDP. Sixty-seven percent of adults have worked in the industry at some point in their lives, meaning more people have worked in restaurants than any other industry. Restaurants go beyond a source of employment, instead serving as a national training ground for most people who are part of the workforce.  

The Made in Restaurants initiative launches with “Where I Started,” a storytelling campaign featuring people whose professional journeys began in restaurants. Participants share how lessons learned in the industry helped shape their careers, whether they remained in hospitality or pursued opportunities elsewhere.

Actress and podcaster Beth Behrs shares how her restaurant job helped her build skills she continues to use on set and on her “Horse Person Podcast.” Reflecting on her time as a waitress, she highlights the experiences and lessons that continue to shape her work today.

“No other industry has shaped our nation’s workforce quite like restaurants. Two out of three U.S. adults have worked in the industry, which means that most of us have benefitted from the life, work, and leadership skills that restaurant employment provides,” Korsmo said. “Made in Restaurants is about capturing these remarkable stories and giving people a place to see – and share – the many ways restaurants create connection and opportunity in all of our lives.”

Made in Restaurants is supported by founding partners, The Coca-Cola Company, DIRECTV for BUSINESS, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, and Taco John’s.

To explore Made in Restaurants, visit www.MadeInRestaurants.org.

About the National Restaurant Association

Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises more than 1 million restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of 15.7 million employees. Together with 52 State Associations, we are a network of professional organizations dedicated to serving every restaurant through advocacy, education, and food safety. We sponsor the industry’s largest trade show (National Restaurant Association Show); leading food safety training and certification program (ServSafe); unique career-building high school program (the NRAEF’s ProStart). For more information, visit Restaurant.org and find @WeRRestaurants on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

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SOURCE National Restaurant Association