Tom Boucher, owner and CEO of Great NH Restaurants, T-BONES & Cactus Jack's, and an active member and past Chairman of the Board of the New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association (NHLRA) announced that Governor Lynch will be naming a restaurant day in the state in response to a letter he sent.
Boucher is on a mission to bring awareness to the state, and one day the country, of just how integral a part of American life the restaurant industry is. Drawing on statistics from the National Restaurant Association, Boucher says:
*NH restaurants are an essential part of the state's economy, generating $2 billion in sales annually, and employing more than 62,000 people in 3000 eating establishments.
*Nationally, annual restaurant sales outnumber that of the US Agriculture Industry, the US Airline Industry and the US Motion Picture Industry, combined.
*Half of all Americans have worked in restaurants, including teachers, executives, artists and senators.
*Restaurant workers play a vital role. We cook, we serve, and we nourish our state. *Nine of 10 restaurants donate food, time, facilities and other resources to charitable causes.
*Post-9/11, the industry as a whole raised $20 million for relief. In one day.
Boucher says September 21st is the perfect time for NH Restaurant Recognition Day as it is also the beginning of the Great American Dine Out. During that a week, participating restaurants contribute a portion of every purchase towards childhood hunger in America. Boucher's chain has raised as much as $100,000 for NH charities.
Boucher says he hopes that NH can lead the nation with this gesture of appreciation toward restaurants. His ultimate goal is to establish a National Restaurant Recognition Day, honoring some 13 million restaurant workers across America, who, as he puts it, help prepare, cook, serve and along with a little cheer, bring enjoyment and a sense of community to all of us.
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