The founder of the Bear’s Smokehouse chain of restaurants has accepted a national award for leadership, given by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.
Jamie McDonald was honored with the My Journey award, which recognized his personal struggles in overcoming addiction, depression and mental health problems, and his commitment to hiring people who are returning from incarceration.
Nearly 70% of Bear’s employees are returning citizens across 16 different locations in Connecticut and North Carolina. The company was lauded at the ceremony as a national model for second-chance hiring.
“Without giving people a chance, without giving people a hand to raise them up, they’ll tend to slide back, so from the beginning when we started Bear’s Smokehouse 13 years ago that was always one of our founding principles,” McDonald said in accepting the award.
Navy veteran McDonald also spoke about his work with José Andres’ World Central Kitchen, providing meals at disaster relief sites across the world.
He said they worked for four months to feed families in Asheville, North Carolina, after Hurricane Helene in 2024. He has also traveled to Poland, Morocco, Turkey and Mexico to do similar work.
The award winners were recognized at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. The Foundation has named a $2,500 scholarship after each winner, which will support a student pursuing a post-secondary degree in the restaurant and foodservice industry.
