How local restaurant owners redirect surplus food across South Florida

Nearly 1 in 4 Miami-Dade County households rely on SNAP to help afford groceries, underscoring how widely food assistance supports families across the region.

Local food organizations also face sustained demand, making the network of nonprofits and community partners that help residents access food especially important.

The story: Hunger is a year-round challenge that requires ongoing support — but local businesses can play a practical role in strengthening that network.

The idea: The Chick-fil-A Shared Table program helps redirect surplus food from restaurants to local nonprofits that can put it to good use.

How it works: Participating Chick-fil-A restaurants package high-quality surplus food for nonprofit partners to incorporate into meals.

• Locally owned and operated Chick-fil-A restaurants donate ingredients like chicken filets, chicken strips, biscuits, mac and cheese, fruit cups and salads.

Local nonprofit partners pick up the donated food and use it to help prepare meals for people experiencing food insecurity.

• Those ingredients can be used in dishes like chicken parmesan, breakfast casseroles, stir-fries and smoothies.

The strategy: Each restaurant contributes surplus food, with nonprofit partners across the community helping turn those donations into meals for neighbors in need.

The model gives restaurants a consistent process for redirecting usable food while giving nonprofit organizations ingredients they can incorporate into the meals they already prepare and distribute.

• Plus, because restaurants work with organizations located nearby, those donations can remain in the same communities where the food originated.

The local impact: Shared Table now operates at every Chick-fil-A restaurant in South Florida.

• The program has helped create more than 414,000 meals for local neighbors in need.
• Nationwide, more than 2,700 Chick-fil-A restaurants work with local nonprofit organizations, with more than 90% of Chick-fil-A restaurants participating in Shared Table.

The background: Since 2020, Chick-fil-A, Inc. and its local Owner-Operators nationwide have helped provide more than 200 million meals through its hunger-focused initiatives.

• But through Shared Table alone, Chick-fil-A restaurants and their nonprofit partners have helped create more than 50 million meals nationwide.
• In 2025, participating restaurants donated nearly 13 million pounds of ingredients to Shared Table partners, including 8 million pounds of chicken.

The takeaway: Shared Table gives Miami-area Chick-fil-A restaurants one concrete way to contribute: Recover prepared food that still has value, put it in the hands of nearby nonprofit partners and help those organizations turn it into meals.

During Hunger Action Month this September, Chick-fil-A is highlighting these partnerships to raise awareness of food insecurity and the local organizations working to address it year-round.

• With every Miami-area Chick-fil-A restaurant participating, that work has already helped create more than 414,000 meals locally, keeping surplus food moving toward neighbors who can use it.

Learn more about the Chick-fil-A Shared Table program and its work in local communities.