The National Restaurant Association gave McDonald's Corp. its Faces of Diversity Award in the Inspiration category at a ceremony held May 17 during the 2009 Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show at McCormick Place in Chicago. The NRA's Faces of Diversity awards celebrate diversity and inclusion in the restaurant and foodservice industry.
Winners in two award categories — the American Dream Award and the Inspiration Award — are recognized every year based on inspirational success stories and exceptional efforts to embrace diversity.
McDonald's has been recognized by several organizations and publications as a "Best Place to Work" for African Americans, Hispanics, Asians and people with disabilities. The system also supports five employee business networks for African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, women and gay/lesbian/allies, and hosts networking symposiums every two years.
The company also offers a diversity education curriculum with classes such as "Winning with Inclusion and Diversity," as well as career development coursework for women and minorities. Its online mentoring program allows employees to find mentors according to their needs and preferences.
"The restaurant and foodservice industry is one of the most diverse industries in America, and prides itself on representing and serving those from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures," said Dawn Sweeney, president and CEO of the NRA. "The Faces of Diversity awards are a great way to acknowledge the many incredible success stories of our industry, and the commitment of restaurant companies to embrace diversity and inclusion. We are proud to celebrate these accomplishments."
Winners of the American Dream award are:
- Ben and Virginia Ali, Ben's Chili Bowl, Washington, D.C.: Originally from Trinidad, Ali came to the United States when he was 18 years old. He tried several jobs before working at Ann's Hot Dogs. Ali met Virginia Rollins, who had been working as a bank teller, and together they opened Ben's Chili Bowl one week before they were married. Since opening in the summer of 1958, Ben's Chili Bowl has faced some tough times, including race riots in the late 1960s and drug wars in the surrounding area in the 1970s and then in 1987 when construction began on a nearby subway line that nearly crippled their business for five years. Today, two of their three sons operate the restaurant and a bar, Ben's Next Door, which opened in the fall of 2008. Ben's Chili Bowl attracts visitors from around the world and even hosted President Barack Obama just days before his inauguration.
- Amy Igloi Matsuno, Amy's on the Bay, Port Orchard, Washington: At just 3 years old, Amy Matsuno's biological parents died, leaving Matsuno in a Korean orphanage where she contracted a high fever that caused hearing loss. She was adopted and moved to the United States where testing revealed a 33 percent hearing loss in one ear and a 36 percent loss in the other. Matsuno used hearing aids and started speech therapy. Despite adversity, Matsuno excelled in school and in sports. At just 25, Matsuno opened her own restaurant. Matsuno and her husband Grant now own and operate Amy's on the Bay in Portland, Wash., a steak and seafood restaurant with Asian influences.
- Siraj Virani, Dunkin' Donuts, Chicago: In 1971, Siraj Virani lived in Bengal, now known as Bangladesh, when the Indo-Pakistani War broke out. Virani embarked on a treacherous journey through war-torn areas to safety in Karachi, Pakistan. While working as a typist and bookkeeper in Karachi, Virani won a scholarship to the United States, where he studied to be an accountant. He worked as a server at a restaurant to earn extra money. After obtaining an associate's degree from the Central YMCA College in Chicago, he studied accounting and finance at Roosevelt University. When he was laid off from a pharmaceutical company, Virani began to consider franchising opportunities. Today, Virian owns 13 Dunkin' Donuts restaurants and supplies baked goods to 18 other stores in the Chicago area.
Other American Dream finalists included:
- Arvik Babahkanlou-Ozcan, Uno's Chicago Grill, Watertown, Mass.
- Steve de Castro, Big Steaks Management LLC, Pikesville, Md.
- Tony Garcia, High Plains Corral dba Golden Corral, Amarillo, Texas
- Debbie Jordan, HogBody's Beach House, Cape Coral, Fla.
- Craig A. Harris, Turkeyman, Lansing, Mich.
- Robert Hosseini, Qdoba Restaurant Corp., Wheat Ridge, Colo.
- Husein Kitabwalla, Retail Brand Group LLC, Allentown, Pa.
- Giorgio Kolaj, Famous Famiglia, White Plains, N.Y.
- Donnell Long, Olde Town Inn, Upper Marlboro, Md.
- Hugo Ortega, Hugo's and Backstreet Café, Houston, Texas
- Baraka Osman, Simply Crepes LLC, Pittsford, N.Y.
- Paymon Raouf, Paymon's Mediterranean Cafe & Lounge, Las Vegas
