Social Entrepreneur should have to be when they need a little extra help. It was this line of thinking that inspired its aptly named nonprofit arm, the Just in Queso Foundation. Founded in 2007, the Just in Queso Foundation has a mission of providing a helping hand to children, the military and the local communities that are home to the chain’s restaurants. “We encourage managers and our franchise partners at individual stores to seek out locals and help them with anything they may need — medical bills, food or even staffing for fundraising events,” Wright said. “Truly serving and connecting with our guests goes beyond food, so you can often find us outside our restaurants partnering with local sports teams and attending hyper-local events.”
Heart and Hustle
The restaurant and food industry works to make our everyday lives easier — cooking our meals while handling the cleanup for us and even delivering groceries and curated recipes right to our door. But even with the speed and efficiency of on-demand meal delivery, today’s consumer wants more from food retailers and restaurants. In fact, according to a Clutch survey, 70% think social responsibility should be a central part of a brand’s purpose.
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Everyone knows things can get pretty heated with our hot sauces, but we also turn up the heat with our community efforts.
Bringing the Heat
“We’re passionate about a lot of things at Tijuana Flats,” Wright said. “Everyone knows things can get pretty heated with our hot sauces, but we also turn up the heat with our community efforts. We always embrace our neighbors and quickly lend our support in times of need.” Hot sauce doesn’t just help kick things up a notch with the company’s tacos. Proceeds from sales of certain
— Brian Wright bottles of hot sauce boost community efforts as well, with 100% of the proceeds from bottles of one of the chain’s extensive hot sauce offerings, Jason’s Mom’s Sauce, donated to the Just in Queso Foundation to support a variety of efforts. Despite its growing presence across the Southeast and beyond, Tijuana Flats hasn’t forgotten its roots. One of Wright’s favorite contributions has been adding a little Tijuana Flats flare to a local children’s hospital.
Finding that purpose has been easy for Tijuana Flats. From distributing free bags of ice to its customers prepping for a hurricane to paying off medical debt for residents in its community, lending a helping hand to its neighbors is all in a day’s work. The Just in Queso Foundation works in tandem with its parent company to also support Tijuana Flats employees. Through its “Hot Scholar” program, the company provides college scholarships to 10 employees each year. Funds from the Just in Queso Foundation are secured through campaigns, public donations and fundraising events, including annual events in two of its target markets — a casino night in Tampa and a gala with live entertainment and silent auction in Orlando. Additionally, Tijuana Flats employees may elect to donate directly to the foundation from their paychecks. i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2019 | 55