This week on Order Up, Karly is joined by Damian Hanft, Vice President and Brand & Culture Ambassador for Inspire Brands, and Isaac Rocha, Director of West Zone McDonalds and Chief Inclusion Officer at Bama Companies, to discuss Pride Month and the LGBTQ+ community’s essential role in the restaurant industry. Tune in to learn more about the significance of LGTBQ+ visibility in industry leadership and the policies and programs being enacted to support and protect individuals, in which everyone is encouraged to bring their authentic selves to the workplace.

• (1:35) - Introducing Damian Hanft
• (3:09) – Introducing Isaac Rocha
• (4:38) – The impact of Pride Month
• (8:30) – Celebrating diversity and inclusion at Inspire Brands
• (9:41) – A people-first strategy
• (10:46) – Enacting a transition policy and communication plan at Bama Companies
• (14:45) – Creating structures to help a diverse workforce ascend industry ranks
• (18:55) – Loren Eiseley’s “The Star Thrower”
• (20:22) – Educating yourself

Damian and Isaac are members of the board of directors for the Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance. To learn more about the organization, visit https://mfha.net/.

For more information on Inspire Brands, visit https://inspirebrands.com/.

For more information on Bama Companies, visit https://www.bama.com/. 

The views expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the National Restaurant Association (Association) and its affiliates. The Association does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy or suitability of any information offered. Listeners are encouraged to do their own research and consider the applicability and suitability of the information provided for their own individual circumstances.

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Podcast episode production by Dante32.