A homegrown nonprofit with one job: turn license plate sales into restaurant grants.
James, the founder, had a burger-themed specialty license plate when he lived in Texas. He's a foodie, and he loved that plate. Strangers would flag him down in parking lots. People waved at him in traffic. A small thing that made a lot of people smile, including him.
When he and his wife moved back to Tennessee, he started thinking about what he wanted to do here. The independently owned restaurants he loves are the kind of places that hold neighborhoods together, and some of them are one rough month away from shutting down. He wanted to do something about that. And he wanted to bring some of that same license plate joy to Tennessee roads while he was at it.
Foodies of TN is both of those things.
The specialty license plate is our primary funding source. Each year, a portion of plate sale revenue flows into our grant program. Our all-volunteer board reviews applications and distributes grants to qualifying restaurants.
The goal is practical help that keeps a good restaurant operating. A walk-in cooler that died on a Saturday, a slow stretch of rent, an upgrade that gives them a real shot at the long run. That's what we're here for.
Every person on the Foodies of TN board is a volunteer. Nobody draws a salary. Keeping overhead low is a priority so the bulk of plate revenue actually reaches restaurants.
Each year we'll publish a summary of funds received, grants awarded, and the parts of Tennessee served. Not buried in a filing somewhere. Just a plain summary on this website.