Raising Cane’s Franchisee Recognized at National Restaurant Gala Awards Dinner

National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) (www.nebraska-dining.org) presented Raising Cane’s (@RaisingCanesSHV) franchisee – Southern Hospitality Ventures, Inc. – with the 2019 Restaurant Neighbor award on March 28 to celebrate their commitment to community service in the restaurant industry. The Nebraska Restaurant Association is very proud of founders Jennifer and Justin Jones, who accepted the award at the Gala Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C., where they were able to share their story of giving back with industry icons and members of Congress.

Each year, this award is presented to one small business, one mid-sized restaurant company, and one large national chain. Each restaurant must first win the Restaurant Neighbor Award at the state level and is then judged on a national level against the other state winners in their category. A Nebraska restaurant has not won at the national level for over 10 years.

Since opening the first Raising Cane’s restaurant in Lincoln in 2006, Jennifer and Justin have been committed to giving back to their restaurants’ communities and have given over $1.8 million back to the communities they serve. A few key highlights include:

• Donating over 21,000 coats to those in need since 2007.
• Raising school supplies to help over 12,300 students and donating over $49,000 to local schools since 2009.
• Donating over 822,000 minutes in calling cards, and over $102,000 to Nebraska soldiers and veterans.

To learn more about the Raising Cane’s franchisee, Southern Hospitality Ventures, Inc., go to Facebook or Twitter (@RaisingCanesSHV). For more information on the winners, including images and videos, go to chooserestaurants.org/Industry-Involvement/Awards or reach out to the Nebraska Restaurant Association, the voice of Nebraska’s food service industry, by calling (402) 488-3999, visiting www.nebraska-dining.org, or going to Facebook (@NebraskaRestaurantAssociation).