O’Charley’s Restaurant + Bar, the classic American restaurant with 150 locations across 17 states, announced an innovative hiring campaign focused on recruiting Gold Star family members. The initiative is aligned with O’Charley’s long-term commitment in supporting families of fallen U.S. service members. As a brand, O’Charley’s and its team members have maintained a consistent commitment to respect and honor those who sacrificially serve our country in the military and particularly the families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Since 2016, O’Charley’s has raised more than $2 million for The Folded Flag Foundation, a nonprofit that provides educational scholarships and supports grants to the families of fallen U.S. service members. O’Charley’s is now taking that commitment further by launching a hiring campaign focused solely on getting Gold Star family members jobs and securing opportunities for their career success.
“We are committed that O’Charley’s will be known as an innovation leader in our industry and we’re continuing to transform to elevate our brand on every level. We’re reimagining the way corporate philanthropy can work, refining best-in-class recruiting practices, executing the industry’s best operations with the critical focus on all compliance matters, and of course, delivering the best menu options with amazing customer service,” says O’Charley’s CEO Craig W. Barber. “Our Gold Star hiring campaign is just the latest example of us delivering on that commitment.”
As part of the course for reimagining the role corporate philanthropy can have in its communities, O’Charley’s launched the first-ever charity-based virtual restaurant concept last year, the Songwriters Café, wherein all proceeds went directly to supporting The Folded Flag Foundation.
The groundbreaking concept was the evolution of the Songwriters Cafe virtual benefit concert series, which O’Charley’s launched in 2020 by teaming up with country music stars like Lee Brice and Russell Dickerson to shine a spotlight on Gold Star families and their needs.
O’Charley’s Gold Star hiring campaign is a multi-faceted effort. There will be hiring days specifically focused on Gold Star family members on Tuesday, March 22 and Wednesday, March 23 at all 150 O’Charley’s Restaurant + Bar locations.
Gold Star family members are also encouraged to apply at www.ocharleys.com/careers, wherein they can indicate their special status in the application. All Gold Star family members who apply in-person will also have the ability to note their status during the application process.
“Supporting Gold Star families is at the core of what we do at O’Charley’s. It just makes sense it should be at the core of our recruiting and hiring practices as well,” adds Senior Vice President of Human Resources Clint Lautenschleger. “We believe supporting these families is not only the right thing to do, but good for business too. As one of the first brands to have a dedicated program like this, we hope it will become a model for others to follow.”
