Burger King is doing it HER way by helping women chefs

When you order that Burger King Whopper, do you think about the person who made it? While everyone knows that guests can have it your way at BK, the popular quick service restaurant is changing the conversation. Isn’t it time to put “her” way into the food conversation?

Although the plight of restaurants and the food industry has become part of the news cycle in the past year, another restaurant issue is equally as disheartening. While the old commentary about women in the kitchen might have taken on different meaning, the reality is that women are not in the professional kitchen.

From food documentaries to food employment studies, the facts show that women are underrepresented in the kitchen. From the dismal percentages of less than 10% of executive chefs are women to the obstacles women chefs have in the workforce, the reality is that change needs to happen in the restaurant industry. Burger King is doing its way to make a change.

How is Burger King putting HER in the kitchen?

On International Women’s Day, Burger King announced the creations of a new scholarship, H.E.R. (Helping Equalize Restaurants), which is part of the Burger King Foundation Scholars Program. The new scholarship is intended to “support female team members in achieving their educational goals.”

Through this scholarship, women will receive assistance in achieving a culinary arts degree. The concept is that through supporting culinary education, a change can help. With the goal to increase women’s position of authority, respect and representation, the hope is that change will come.

While the H.E.R. Scholarship is important, it is just one part of the needed change. While kitchen cultural saw a change in the past, those changes have to continue to evolve. Women chefs not only need to feel valued, they need to feel confident to raise their voices to heard in the conversation.

As Burger King puts “her” in its story, what other restaurants will follow suit?