Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen Sites In Austin Help Fight Hunger

AUSTIN, TX — Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen has teamed up with several nonprofit agencies to curb hunger in Austin, donating surplus food for those in need, officials said Friday.

Each week, the restaurant donates wholesome, surplus food directly from its in-house scratch kitchen, company officials said. Donated items are a combination of fresh ingredients, such as vegetables and proteins, and hand-crafted dishes, such as soups, sauces, casseroles and pasta.

“Hunger is a community issue, and at Cheddar’s, we’re in a strong position to make an impact in our local community,” Tina Carver, Managing Partner of the location on William Cannon Drive in Austin, said. “Our scratch cooking philosophy means that we always have fresh ingredients on-hand, and can donate excess, when available. Our team takes tremendous pride in helping our neighbors in need through our partnership with Lifeworks.”

Officials point to statistics in underscoring the inspiration for their altruism. According to Feeding America, one in eight Americans is hungry or at risk of hunger. Such figures prompted Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen to kick off their donation program to fight hunger in the local community by joining forces with several local nonprofit organizations. The three locations in the Austin area now donate wholesome, surplus food to the nonprofit on a weekly basis as part of its new Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Harvest program, officials said.

In addition to Lifeworks, other benefiting nonprofits include St. Mark United Methodist Church and Round Rock Serving Center. Cheddar’s has two locations in Austin and one in Pflugerville.

All of Darden Restaurants’ 1,700 restaurants nationwide participate in the Harvest food donation program. Together, the family of brands have donated more than 100 million pounds of food – 83.3 million meals – to nonprofits nationwide, officials said. As of this spring, the program has been implemented in all of Cheddar’s more than 150 kitchens nationwide.

But the support goes beyond food donations, company officials noted. Darden Foundation, the charitable arm of Darden Restaurants, is donating $157,000 on behalf of Cheddar’s restaurants nationwide to benefit 83 food banks.

Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen patrons enjoy made-from-scratch meals at affordable prices. The restaurant has been serving since 1979 and currently has more than 150 restaurants in 28 states. Nationwide, Cheddar’s employs more than 23,000 friendly and passionate team members. For more information, visit www.Cheddars.com.

Get Patch's Daily Newsletters and Real Time Alerts

>>> Photos courtesy of Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen