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Beyond the paycheck: How Canary helps restaurant brands turn compassion into action

As financial emergencies put increasing pressure on frontline workers, emergency-relief provider Canary is demonstrating how employers can turn a people-first culture into meaningful support.

Photo: Shutterstock

September 25, 2026 by Valerie Gritton

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For a restaurant employee, a broken-down car can mean more than an unexpected repair bill. It can mean missing a shift, losing income or struggling to cover rent and groceries, all adding potential financial stress. For the operator, that same emergency can mean an understaffed restaurant, increased pressure on other team members and, potentially, the cost of replacing an employee.

As restaurant brands continue to compete for workers, new research suggests that addressing employees' financial realities may be an important part of recruiting and retention.

A study released Sept. 17 by DailyPay and Workday found that 78% of frontline workers calculate expenses such as gas, commuting and childcare before deciding whether to accept a new shift.

But what happens if an emergency takes that shift away with the potential of leaving an employee taking on a debt they can't afford?

Research from Canary, an emergency-relief provider that helps employers distribute charitable grants to employees experiencing financial hardship, reveals how unexpected expenses can affect an employee's ability to remain financially stable and employed. And how valuable it is for employers to offer access to help.

Starting days

Canary's origins trace back to founder Rachel Schneider, who spent decades researching financial instability among American households. Schneider co-authored The Financial Diaries, a book examining how approximately 200 families across the United States managed their finances. The research revealed significant income volatility, with families experiencing fluctuations in earnings and expenses that made it difficult to maintain financial stability throughout the year.

After completing the book, Schneider wanted to move beyond studying the problem and develop a practical solution for employers across all industries. Based on her research, she identified a gap in employee emergency relief: Large corporations could afford to administer their own assistance programs or establish foundations, but smaller businesses often lacked the resources to do the same.

That realization led to Canary, which was founded six years ago to make employer-sponsored emergency relief accessible to organizations of varying sizes. The company works with employers to establish and administer charitable funds that provide tax-free grants to employees experiencing qualifying financial hardships, including eviction, utility disconnection, catastrophic car repairs and medical expenses not covered by insurance.

The fund has primarily been used by hourly employees; however, their grants have been distributed to employees across all levels of the income spectrum.

Emergency relief

In an exclusive interview with QSRweb, Canary's head of growth, Catherine Scagnelli, said during a Zoom call that demand for the company's programs has increased significantly; a sign of the economic times in which we all live.

"When I started five years ago, we were quoting a 2% usage (rate) of entire employee populations. Now we're quoting more like 6% usage as an average," she said.

Based on Canary data, some employers see usage as low as 1%, while others see rates as high as 14%, depending on their employee population.

Among Canary's restaurant clients, common qualifying emergencies include eviction, utility disconnection, catastrophic car problems and medical expenses not covered by insurance, with the impact of those emergencies often extending beyond the initial expense.

When the money is disbursed, there is no tracking of how that money is used. As Scagnelli explains it, an employee might use their available money to repair a vehicle so they can continue working, only to find they can no longer afford groceries. So instead, a disbursement has the potential to be used to purchase groceries or pay for child care so the employee can afford to repair their vehicle, pay off a utility bill, or make a rent or mortgage payment.

"They're impossible decisions, and yet, people have to make them," Scagnelli said.

One of Canary's long-term clients, Dutch Bros Coffee, has been supporting employees through financial hardship as part of the company's approach to caring for its workforce.

The coffee chain partnered with Canary to establish the Bros Fund, an emergency-relief program designed to help eligible employees facing unexpected financial challenges. The fund is primarily supported by the company, but employees also can contribute to help their colleagues.

For a brand built around relationships and community, the program provides a way to turn their values into tangible support.

"They have consistently over the years really invested in their people," Scagnelli said. "And a great example of realizing that investing in their people now means investing in their financial stability."

The program also puts confidentiality at the forefront. Rather than requiring someone to publicly share their circumstances or ask colleagues for help, the fund provides a structured way to give and receive assistance while preserving privacy.

Canary administers applications independently, meaning employers don't receive the names or personal circumstances of employees requesting assistance, and Scagnelli said some grant recipients have shared that they never would have requested help if they had to approach their managers directly.

The stats

By handling applications and grant decisions independently, Canary allows employees to seek assistance without disclosing their personal financial circumstances to their employers.

Canary's 2025 Emergency Relief Report illustrates how financial assistance can affect employees' sense of stability and their relationship with their employers and is an indicator of today's economic environment.

The company distributed 1.5 times as many charitable grants in 2025 as in the previous year, with 80% of grant recipients coming from households earning less than $69,000 annually, up from 70% in 2024.

Housing insecurity was particularly pronounced as 23% of recipients received assistance related to eviction or a forced move, compared with 15% the previous year. Additionally, 43% needed help with mortgage or rent expenses, up from 32% in 2024.

The average grant was $1,015.

Although those figures reflect Canary's broader client population rather than restaurant workers specifically, they offer insight into the financial pressures hourly employees across all industries are experiencing.

Among grant recipients, 93% said receiving assistance improved how they felt about their employer, even though 57% reported needing additional resources. Seventy-one percent said the money gave them time and space to plan their next steps and 58% of recipients felt less stressed after receiving assistance.

Another fact: Financial emergency assistance didn't discriminate entirely by salary. While Canary sees greater demand for assistance among lower-income and hourly employees, Scagnelli said the company also receives applications from workers earning six-figure incomes.

A medical emergency, unexpected expense or loss of a spouse's income can destabilize a household regardless of what one employee earns, she said. "It doesn't matter where you sit on the income spectrum."

That doesn't mean emergency relief alone will solve retention challenges. But it illustrates how the employee experience is shaped by circumstances that extend well beyond the restaurant's walls.

"If you can cover a $1,000 car issue and your employee can get back to work, then you avoid the cost of them not being able to show up at work," she said. "If they maybe lose their job and you replace that employee, it really starts to make sense to be that safety net for someone," Scagnelli said.

Turning compassion into action

For restaurant leaders interested in offering similar assistance, Canary's model provides a way to establish a formal employee-support program without requiring managers or HR departments to evaluate individual financial emergencies.

Employers determine which qualifying events their programs will cover, establish maximum grant amounts and contribute money to a dedicated fund.

Grant limits vary depending on the organization's budget, with some employers offering maximum grants of approximately $2,000 to $2,500, while others provide as much as $10,000.

At the same time, smaller organizations might initially contribute approximately $20,000 to a fund, while large corporations can make six-figure contributions. Ultimately, the choice is up to the employer, Scagnelli said.

Canary administers the application process, reviews documentation and distributes approved grants. Meanwhile, employers receive aggregate information about the program without access to individual employees' names or personal circumstances.

Scagnelli emphasized that paying employees and helping them through financial emergencies aren't competing priorities. It's about creating a workplace where people know they have access to assistance when life gets complicated.

"You want to create a work environment that people feel valued in and supported in," she said.