Chick-fil-A's Shared Table Program Donates Leftover Food to Local Charities

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Chick-fil-A's Shared Table program donates leftover food from its restaurants to local nonprofit organizations, such as homeless shelters and after-school programs, instead of throwing it away. The program started in the early 1980s in Knoxville, Tennessee, and has since expanded to over 2,500 Chick-fil-A locations across the country, resulting in the donation of more than 42 million meals. The chain provides a digital cookbook to help nonprofits transform the donated food into new dishes.

Why it matters

The Shared Table program allows Chick-fil-A to reduce food waste while also supporting local communities in need. Many restaurants struggle with the cost and logistics of donating leftover food, but Chick-fil-A's partnership with nonprofits helps overcome these barriers. The program serves as a model for how large food service companies can make a tangible difference in addressing hunger and food insecurity.

The details

The Shared Table program works by connecting Chick-fil-A locations with local nonprofit organizations that are able to pick up and prepare the leftover food. This allows the restaurant to avoid throwing away edible food at the end of the day. Chick-fil-A even provides a digital cookbook called "Extra Helpings" to help the nonprofit partners transform the donated food into new dishes. The program started in the early 1980s when a Knoxville Chick-fil-A owner-operator noticed the amount of food being thrown away and reached out to a local nonprofit to establish a partnership.

• The Shared Table program started in the early 1980s in Knoxville, Tennessee.
• By 2012, the idea had spread throughout the Chick-fil-A franchise, and the program was officially launched.

What’s next

Chick-fil-A encourages people to reach out to the owner-operator of their local restaurant to learn more about the Shared Table program and how to get involved as a nonprofit organization.