Big Table

Big Table exists to see the lives of those working in the restaurant and hospitality industry transformed by building community and caring for those in crisis, transition, or falling through the cracks. In short, Big Table exists to serve hope to everyone in the industry.

We have filled a gap that wasn't previously filled by a charity. Instead of focusing on a cause, we

Goal One: The Restaurant and Hospitality Industry is one of the largest employment groups in the United States - and the need is the same in each city we operate. Our goal is to be nationwide.

Goal Two: We catch people before they fall into financial & emotional devastation. Caring for people before the crisis and level of assistance needed becomes unmanageable allows us to help far more individuals

Goal Three: Big Table recruits volunteer coaches to build capacity in an individual’s life. Coaches mentor recipients & model accountability & celebrate victories. Volunteers also donate tangible goods.

We have three organizations we partner with for leadership development: in 2022 our Executive directors have joined a RevJen cohort to evaluate our organizational design, resource allocation and review our revenue culture design. Our Executive Eirector and board members participate in the Murdock leadership and development seminars on a yearly basis. Our City Directors participate in the Mission Increase Foundation quarterly seminars for skill development. Our Care Engagement Coordinators focus on educational opportunities in the areas of mental health, addiction recovery, spiritual development and local community resources.

Big Table has a unique and vital mission - serving America’s restaurant and hospitality workers by meeting emergency needs and providing coaching and mentoring. Launched in 2009, Big Table has expanded rapidly to serve restaurant and hotel workers in four U.S. cities -- Seattle and Spokane, Wash., San Diego, Calif., and Nashville, Tenn. In Seattle, where Big Table has been serving the restaurant and hospitality industry since 2015, the organization and its supporters have made a huge difference in the lives of 1,400 individual restaurant and hospitality workers and their families – impacting 668 Seattle-area restaurants and hotels, providing a lifeline for low-income workers and their families facing urgent personal needs and crises. Since the start of the pandemic, Big Table has seen requests for help more than double in Seattle as hardworking restaurant and hospitality employees – many of whom live at or below the poverty line – have struggled to pay their rent, buy groceries, pay for urgently-needed medical and dental care, address substance abuse, and cope with mental and emotional crises. Unfortunately, the skyrocketing cost of living and doing business in Seattle -- combined with key staff turnover and extended pandemic restrictions on meeting in-person with care recipients and donors -- made it impossible for Big Table to continue operating effectively. As a result, Big Table’s board of directors made the extremely difficult decision to cease all Seattle operations at the end of 2021. We will work with local partners to continue to support those in crisis through a local volunteer network. Although leaving Seattle was a heart-wrenching decision for everyone associated with Big Table, we plan to continue to expand to more cities across the U.S. over the next decade.