Restaurants have long been upping their game when it comes to sustainability and the responsible sourcing of ingredients, but they've also been increasingly engaging with social issues, too. While one-off fundraising events do great work for charities, the industry is constantly looking for meaningful and long-term ways to instigate change.
One clever solution is the recently launched ChariTable Bookings. Services that allow you to browse multiple restaurants and reserve a table online in just a few clicks are now entrenched in the way we approach eating out. This new app stays true to this concept but with one key difference – for every booking made, £1 per person will be donated to a charity of their choice.
It already has more than 6,500 restaurants across the UK on board, including big names such as Marcus Wareing and Alain Ducasse, along with 7,000-plus charities you can support, spanning every cause imaginable.
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Action Against Hunger has also harnessed the nation's love of dining to raise both awareness and much-needed donations. October sees the continuation of its annual Love Food Give Food campaign, in which participating restaurants – of which there are more than 400 nationally – add an optional £1 to their customers' bills. A number of high-profile chefs are championing the cause, including Raymond Blanc, Ken Hom and Jose Pizarro.
For others, philanthropy is an integral part of their day-to-day business. Iqbal Wahhab, the businessman behind the acclaimed Cinnamon Club and Roast in London, describes himself as a "restaurateur with social meddling tendencies". Since Roast opened, all the profits from one table have been donated to support projects in the UK and worldwide. Wahhab is also passionate about mentoring young people and regularly hosts training sessions at the restaurant for local schools and The Prince's Trust, as well as army veterans and ex-offenders to give them a hands-on taste of working in catering.
Jamie Oliver, one of the most outspoken voices on food, has taken a similar approach at his non-profit restaurant Fifteen. Every year, the social enterprise recruits 18 people between the ages of 18 and 25 for its apprentice scheme, teaching them the skills they need to become top-class chefs. Oliver has plans to expand the scheme, further opening up opportunities across the UK.
