DIRECTV for BUSINESS and National Restaurant Association Team-Up to Enhance the Restaurant Experience and Advance Restaurant Workers

Partnership also supports The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's efforts to attract, empower and advance restaurant workers from all backgrounds

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Restaurant Association and The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) announced today a five-year partnership with DIRECTV for BUSINESS^SM.  The historic collaboration represents a major effort to improve the restaurant experience, strengthen the role restaurants play in their communities and create opportunities for today's and tomorrow's workforce.

The initiative – Experience Restaurants – will enlist DIRECTV for BUSINESS's world-class entertainment solutions to help restaurants and bars offer a better customer and employee experience. This includes ESPN+ for Business, ESPN College Extra, local sports, news and over 80 music channels.  When combined with great food and service, these popular programing options bring the restaurant and hospitality experience to life.

Experience Restaurants will also directly benefit Association and NRAEF programs that advance both the industry and its workforce – currently 12 million.  NRAEF programs provide culinary and management training for high school students, scholarships for advanced education in restaurants and hospitality, training for military service members joining the industry, apprenticeships and creating job opportunities for individuals involved with the justice system.

"Restaurants are the cornerstone of the communities we serve, and for the millions of employees who come to work in our industry every day, the opportunities for a life-long career are limitless," said Michelle Korsmo, President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association and CEO of the NRAEF. "DIRECTV's commitment enhances our ability to help anyone build a future in our industry, regardless of where they begin. We're proud to be an industry where you can start your career as a dishwasher and cap it off as an owner.  We're excited to partner with DIRECTV so even more people can join our community that is committed to serving employees and guests."

"DIRECTV has long believed in being a good citizen in the communities where our employees work and live," said Doug Eichler, Senior Vice President, DIRECTV for BUSINESS. "This dynamic partnership with the National Restaurant Association and NRAEF allows DIRECTV to take that credo even further, into communities large and small across the United States that support restaurants."

About the National Restaurant Association
Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises nearly 1 million restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of 14.5 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 us on Twitter @WeRRestaurants, Facebook and YouTube.

About The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF)

As the supporting philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association, the NRAEF's charitable mission includes enhancing the industry's training and education, career development, and community engagement efforts. The NRAEF and its programs work to Attract, Empower, and Advance today's and tomorrow's restaurant and foodservice workforce. NRAEF programs include: ProStart® – a high-school career and technical education program; Restaurant Ready/HOPES – Partnering with community based organizations to provide people with skills training and job opportunities; Military – helping military servicemen and women transition their skills to restaurant and foodservice careers; Scholarships – financial assistance for students pursuing restaurant, foodservice and hospitality degrees; and the Restaurant & Hospitality Leadership Center (RHLC) – accredited apprenticeship programs designed to build the careers of service professionals. For more information on the NRAEF, visit ChooseRestaurants.org. Click here for the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's 2021 Annual Impact Report.

About DIRECTV
DIRECTV is the premier national entertainment solution for businesses nationwide, offering customizable, scalable solutions for any size property. DIRECTV offers a variety of programming packages and is an undisputed sports leader, offering a combination of local, and regional, national, and international sports networks. As the United States' commercial video industry leader, DIRECTV for BUSINESS is the entertainment provider of choice for businesses nationwide including more than 300,000 sports bars, restaurants, private offices, salons, airlines, hotels, senior living communities and more. DIRECTV is a sports leader, offering the combination of local, regional, national, and international sports networks and packages, including access to Amazon Prime Video's exclusive Thursday Night Football (TNF) while offering best-in-class picture quality, content, service, and customizable and scalable entertainment solutions for any size business. For more information, visit DIRECTV.com/business.

SOURCE National Restaurant Association