Blog. The story behind Fazenda's £18k fundraiser

The team at Fazenda raised an incredible £18,000 during our recent Social Sunday fundraiser. We asked Fazenda Chief Exec Tomas Maunier to share the secret of his company's success. Here's his story.

"Following our successful Fundraising for Social Sunday, Hospitality Action asked me to share the Fazenda story to inspire other restaurants to get on board.

Throughout my life I have been passionate about sharing part of my South American heritage with others through outstanding authentic food and sharing good times. Since opening our first restaurant in Leeds in 2010 we have come on an incredible journey, expanding our Fazenda family from one to six restaurants across the UK, including our sister brand, Picanha.

Having such a close-knit family at Fazenda inspired us to get involved in fundraising for many charities across all sites and throughout the year as the company is dedicated to helping others whenever possible. One of the charities we support is HA, which offers support to those throughout the industry who face a range of difficulties, including life-altering illnesses and domestic abuse to name just a couple. I know that if I were in a position where I needed help, I’d be grateful for their amazing support. Hospitality Action is a fantastic cause, we are proud to support a charity we wholeheartedly believe in. You never know when you may need their support, so we are grateful that our friends across the industry have someone to turn to in times of need.

This idea allowed us to raise a lot of money for the charity whilst highlighting an important subject that is regularly discussed amongst those who work in the industry. By swapping job roles, it highlighted the hard work that goes into creating the perfect meal, service and atmosphere. Each member of staff is a valuable member of the Fazenda team with each job role in the industry requiring talent and a variety of skills. We thought that swapping jobs for the day was a novel and fun way to involve lots of staff members in the fundraiser as well as helping the team understand each other’s roles better.

Floor Supervisors became Kitchen Assistants, Managers became Bartenders and I juggled being a Passador, Receptionist and Waiter (though not at the same time!) It was a challenging but exciting shift. We took full advantage of our excellently managed social media channels by linking back to our channels via our newsletter to promote the event. We priced our evening rodizio menu at a lower price of £29.50 for one night only, donating all food proceeds to Hospitality Action.

Many of the team fully engaged with the fundraiser and enjoyed the challenge of taking on new positions. The fundraiser not only raised over £18,000 for Hospitality Action but also enabled our team to work together more efficiently. Members of our Head Office team claimed they didn’t realise how hard it was to remember how to make all of the different cocktails provided but once they got in the swing of things found it a lot of fun and enjoyed working with the floor staff. I found it exciting to see first-hand the reaction of the public. It is something I’d love for the company to do again and beat our current record in aid of Hospitality Action.

I’d encourage more companies in the hospitality industry to get involved with Social Sunday. Not only does it raise money for the incredible charity but also raises awareness of the fantastic work they do to support struggling workers from the industry. When coming up with ideas, working with my outstanding colleagues shows the level of creativity and support within the company. The teams enjoyed working on this project as they had fun trying new things and helping a charity which may someday support them. It would be amazing for more businesses to support the charity and even collaborate with each other to do so. We can’t wait for the next Social Sunday now."

We love Fazenda's story. Not only did they raise an incredible amount of money for hospitality people in need, they also did something which enhanced their culture, built understanding amongst colleagues and challenged people to appreciate the work that all teams must bring to make the business succeed.

You don't have to wait until next Social Sunday to fundraise for Hospitality Action. Get in touch to find out more.