Church and state

When a group represents the entirety of foodservice, a patchwork as varied as the nation itself, should it risk even a half-step into the divisive territory of religion? That’s the question that comes to mind after a glance at the schedule for the National Restaurant Association’s annual convention in Chicago later this week.

I attended my first NRA show 26 years ago, and I’ve seen the conference change a lot during that time. In the mid-1980s, for instance, one of the touted attractions was an appearance by Heloise, a then-popular newspaper columnist who offered home-cleaning advice. She was booked to share her secrets with wives who wanted to excel in their work.

This was just a few years before foodservice executives would meet in Chicago to form what is now the Women’s Foodservice Forum, with the express purpose of helping women clean up in their careers, not in their homes. A highlight of this year’s conference will be the presentation of a new award from the WFF to the foodservice company that’s done the most outstanding job of putting women behind desks they’ll never have to polish.

Clearly we’ve come a long way, or so it seemed until I spotted an item on this year’s agenda: A morning prayer breakfast, convened as one of the NRA’s special events. Listed under the same designation are an executive’s briefing on issues of the moment; an awards program for U.S. Air Force foodservice facilities; and one-on-one advice sessions with restaurant designers.

The National Hospitality Prayer Breakfast is billed as “an incredible opportunity to network,” with the added draws of appearances by Spencer Tillman, a CBS sports commentator, and Truett Cathy, the founder of the Chick-fil-A chicken chain. It’s being held at 6:30 a.m., on a Sunday, when many convention attendees would presumably be heading to church anyways.

But they’d be doing that on their own, outside the boundaries of the show itself. This is something that, by virtue of being included on the program, is sanctioned by the NRA, and that raises some qualms. The group should be fastidiously non-denominational, just as it shouldn’t declare itself an organization for Republicans instead of Democrats, or vice-versa. In short, it shouldn’t show favoritism to one faction of its constituency, since that could imply disregard for the beliefs of other members.

In this specific instance, the association is veering from that policy with the inclusion of a Christian event in its roster of special activities. The prayer breakfast is being presented by an entity called Hospitality Industry Ministries, Inc., a group formed in Atlanta with a goal of instilling prayer into industry events. But that’s just a means to a larger end, as the organization explains on its website:

“The purpose of the Hospitality Industry Ministries is to lead people in the hospitality community into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ by creating business environments where God can be discovered.”

That sort of mission shouldn’t have a place in the major convention of foodservice, a trade that includes plenty of persons from other faiths. Why should they be excluded, or made to feel uncomfortable, as if they’re outsiders?

I’ve always been a loyal champion of the National Restaurant Association; the industry is fortunate to be represented by such a vibrant, professional and powerful organization. But the NRA made a mistake by including the event in this year’s program. It should correct the problem quickly, and forever more leave religion on the sidelines.