Restaurant Nights

This idea costs nothing and can raise a decent amount of money if you manage it correctly. Most restaurants are willing to host fundraising events for your cause where they donate 10-20% of the profits earned in a night. Contact a local chain restaurant that everyone likes and tell them that you’re raising money for your drama department’s scholarship fund. (Make sure that you clear this fundraiser with both your drama department coordinator and your principal ahead of time. You may need to give them your school’s tax ID number. You can also use NTSA's tax ID number; email us for more information!) Here’s how to make your restaurant night count:

1. Choose the right date.
Choose a date when everyone will be in the mood for going out. You could consider a half-day lunchtime get-together, a mid-exam break, or after-prom munchies. Our favorite option? An opening night celebration in honor of the high school musical! You have an entire audience that wants to celebrate with their cast member (or musician or techie!), and what better way to do that than with a nice sit-down meal? If their student is surrounded by all of their friends, even better! Regardless of what date you choose, remember that this is not an event for a random Wednesday night. You’ll only raise some real money if you’re working around a tie-in event.

2. Choose the right restaurant.
If students are going to be the only ones dining (ex. mid-exam break), you want to choose somewhere that’s firmly within their budgets. However, hosting your restaurant night at the local McDonalds (where customers spend an average of $4.72 per meal) isn’t going to raise nearly as much money as if you go for a more upscale eatery. Get a hundred folks into that McDonalds, and we’re still only talking $50 raised. Meanwhile, consider a more family-friendly restaurant like Bonefish ($23 per meal), Carrabba’s ($21 per meal), or Outback ($20 per meal). All of these restaurants will help coordinate fundraising events for you if you call them up directly and ask. If you get all of the cast members’ families (ex. 90 families with four people each) to join you after opening night for a late dinner at Bonefish, you’re going to make about $1,600. And you barely had to do any work!

3. Promote promote promote.
Make sure that you share the news! If you're doing an opening night celebration, for instance, pass printed flyers around to cast and crew members the week before. Make announcements at the end of every rehearsal, reminding students to tell their families about the celebration. Even hit the PA system and let anyone attending the show that night know that they’re invited too! Finally, after the performance, have the leading actor come out onstage and give a curtain speech — inviting the audience to the opening night celebration/fundraiser at such-and-such restaurant! There’s no such thing as too much advertising. On the contrary, folks usually need to see something advertised seven times before they’re prompted to actually do it!

4. Make sure everyone brings their flyer.
THE MOST IMPORTANT PART. If families don’t turn in their flyer at the end of their meal, you don’t get any money from their purchase. (And restaurants usually won’t let you pass out flyers at the actual restaurant.) So let’s say, once again, that you're hosting an opening night celebration. After that curtain speech, position a few cast members by the auditorium doors and some additional cast members by the school exit. As audience members are leaving, make sure that every single person has a flyer. If they didn’t get one at the auditorium door for some reason, make sure that they get one at the exit. This is also a good last-chance to make a pitch! Make sure that audience members know how much you want to see them at the party afterwards! (This shouldn’t be that hard. After all, you did just finish a performance, and you do want all of your friends and family to celebrate with you!) Make sure that you announce during the curtain speech that families need to bring their flyer into the restaurant so that they can make their order count!

Here’s a list of restaurants that host fundraising events. Remember: Other restaurants will probably be willing to help you out as well, you just need to get on the phone with a manager. (Or stop by with a group of friends and visit in-person for even better results!)

TGI Fridays: Fundraise at Friday’s
Bertucci’s: Dining for Dollars
Chipotle: Do Good with Burritos
Potbelly’s: In Shop Fundraisers
Boston Market: Restaurant Night
California Pizza Kitchen: Pizza with a Purpose
Houlihan’s: Dine to Donate
Red Robin: Spirit Night
Panda Express
Chick-Fil-A: Spirit Night
McDonalds: Family Fun Night
Burger King: Benefit Night
Arby’s: Benefit Night
Uno’s: Dough Rai$ers
Chili’s: Give Back Nights
Applebee’s: Flapjack Fundraiser
Denny’s
Yogurtini
Rubio’s
BD’s Mongolian Grill
BJ’s Restaurant Brewhouse
Fuddruckers: Benefit Nights
Jamba Juice: Fundraising
Brusters: Scooper Night
Max and Erma’s: FUNdraiser
Pizza Hut
Domino’s Pizza: Delivering the Dough
KFC Fundraiser Night
Panera Bread
Marie Callenders: Dine in for Dollars
Noodles and Company: Fundraising Night
Moe’s Southwest Grill
Dairy Queen
SONIC