Announcing the 2025 Outstanding Operator Winners
Food On Demand is excited to announce the recipients of our second annual 2025 Outstanding Operator Awards!
After combing through a wealth of nominations, our editorial team has selected 20 brands that are excelling in areas like off-premises operations and digital guest engagement. These brands are setting the bar with their strong loyalty programs, delivery strategies, strategic use of automation and so much more.
As part of the program, we’ve once again invited all 20 brands to join us at the upcoming Food On Demand conference, May 5-7 at The Bellagio in Las Vegas, where they will be recognized on stage. Each brand will also receive a $1000 donation to the charity of their choice and be interviewed by our team for a feature article.
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to running a restaurant. In today’s omnichannel world, where orders are increasingly coming from both in-person and digital channels, striking the right balance is key. Meeting consumers where they are—whether online or in person—is now a necessity.
From sharing best practices for working with third-party delivery platforms to adopting hybrid delivery models and refining customer touchpoints, there’s a ton of knowledge to gain from these operators.
Be sure to check out last year’s winners below, and stay tuned for the feature articles on Food On Demand in the coming weeks!
2025 Outstanding Operator Recipients
Here are last years winning operators
Food On Demand’s Outstanding Operators recognized 20 brands ranging from independent to mid-
market and large chains. These innovators are taking creative paths in their delivery and off-premises endeavors – and now they’re giving back to organizations that are leading change for good.
GoTo Foods
Charity: Atlanta Community Food Bank
Fighting hunger by engaging, educating, and empowering the community by working with nearly 700 community-based nonprofit partners to distribute 9 million+ meals across metro Atlanta and north Georgia each month.
Chick-fil-A
Charity: Brazos Pregnancy Center
Empowering women and families through education and mentoring by providing free services, compassionate care, and resources to help clients make a fully informed decision about their pregnancy and next steps.
Craveworthy Brands
Charity: Live Like Kate
Raising funds and awareness to support cancer patients and their families, and fund groundbreaking research that can save lives at The University of Chicago Cancer Center.
Sweetgreen
Charity: Urban Ventures
Working to break the cycle of poverty in south Minneapolis centered around one big and audacious goal—to prepare and send every child in the neighborhood to college or some form of postsecondary education.
Blaze Pizza
Charity: Folds of Honor
Providing the families of fallen and disabled service members and first responders educational scholarships.
Papa Johns
Charity: Second Helpings Atlanta
Reducing hunger and food waste in the Metro Atlanta area by rescuing healthy, nutritious surplus food, diverted from landfills, and distributing it to those in need to make Atlanta a more environmentally responsible metropolitan area.
ClusterTruck
Charity: Riley’s Childrens Foundation
Supporting children in Indiana who are fighting cancer, recovering from a life-changing accident, or struggling with their mental health.
Dog Haus
Charity: Global Fund for Women
Supporting feminist movements and grassroots organizers and fueling rising people-power globally to increase their impact and accelerate change.
Wow Bao
Charity: CORE (Childrens of Restaurant Employees)
Helping employees with children who worked in food and beverage service operations at times of health crises and natural disaster.
Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria
Charity: Homeless Prenatal Program
Serving over 3,500 low-income and homeless families annually to help families become healthy, stable and self-sufficient.
Another Broken Egg Cafe
Charity: Giving Kitchen
Providing emergency assistance to food service workers through financial support and a network of community resources.
The Smoke Shop BBQ
Charity: No Kid Hungry
Relying on the financial support of ordinary Americans – as well as companies, restaurants and charitable foundations – to feed children.
Chipotle
Charity: Chipotle Cultivate Program
Providing resources and promoting good stewardship for farmers, promoting better livestock husbandry, encouraging regenerative agriculture practices and fostering food literacy, cooking education, and nutritious eating.
Costa Vida
Charity: Women in Restaurant Leadership
Creating a safe environment for women to connect, learn from one another, foster mentorship opportunities, and gather career advancement advice and tips.
Salad and Go
Charity: Americas Charities
Providing resources and promoting good stewardship for farmers, promoting better livestock husbandry, encouraging regenerative agriculture practices and fostering food literacy, cooking education, and nutritious eating.
OOMI Digital Kitchen
Charity: Sea Paws Rescue
Saving the lives of abandoned and neglected animals all over the globe by giving every animal the medical care, shelter, and love and care they need.
Handcraft Burgers & Brew
Charity: Core Gives
Supporting food and beverage operations employees with children when the employee, their spouse/domestic partner, or their child is faced with a life-altering health crisis, injury, death or natural disaster.
Mamma Ramona’s
Charity: Ramona Food & Clothes Closet
Providing emergency food, clothing, and other resources to aid individuals and low-income families.
PLNT Burger
Charity: Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary
Offering care, rehabilitation, and permanent sanctuary for neglected, abused or abandoned farm animals, providing a protected habitat for wildlife, and promoting compassion and the humane treatment of all animals by educating the public on farm animal and wildlife issues.
Saigon Sisters
Charity: Meals On Wheels (Chicago)
Providing extra support to a diverse group of clients living in every neighborhood, helping people of every race, religion, and financial ability.