Hungry for a career in the restaurant industry?

Not surprisingly, there's a connection between working in a restaurant and serving in the military.

When a soldier completes a mission, there is immediate feedback in the form of an after-action report.  When a chef or server prepares or delivers a meal to a customer, the response to the presentation and taste of the food are immediate.

Looked at differently, it's one thing to teach someone how to flip an egg, but it's a lot harder to get that same individual to flip 50 eggs in the exact same way in 30 minutes.

Working under stress is nothing new to a soldier.

In restaurants, as in the military, there is a sense of urgency focused on mission completion.

"In the military, you have to learn to interact and deal with people, and you have to work as a team and be very goal and mission oriented," wrote Steve Hilton, McDonald's Corporation's vice president of government relations, in an email.

So let's set the table.

According to the National Restaurant Association (NRA), there are approximately 250,000 veterans employed in the restaurant industry, a number that is expected to grow by more than 25,000 during the next five years.

The NRA also estimates that 1.7 million new restaurant jobs will be created during the next 10 years, leaving the chair pulled out for disciplined and team-oriented individuals.

The NRA also operates the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF), an organization that supports this country's Armed Forces through training and support programs that promote hospitality and restaurant career opportunities for veterans and their spouses.

The NRAEF is moving forward to expand its job board to create a robust hospitality industry career website for military servicemembers and their spouses and to host virtual career fairs for veterans in partnership with the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Here are a few numbers to digest.

Nineteen percent of veterans employed in the restaurant industry hold management positions, compared to 10 percent of non-veterans.  What's more, 14 percent of the veterans employed in the industry are in supervisory positions, compared to eight percent of non-veterans.

"In my opinion, veterans make the perfect employee in any field," said Aaron O'Reilly in an FSR Magazine article by Danny Klein, entitled "The Battle to Break Through."

"They have the discipline down.  Complaining is zero to null.  Their work ethic is phenomenal."

Not only can veterans find work in the industry, but they also own part of it.

According to recent (2015) census data, veterans are majority owners of nearly 34,000 restaurant businesses and half-owners of another 32,000 businesses, nationwide.

At the top of the list in making a difference for veterans are McDonald's, Baskin-Robbins and Subway.

"We hope this makes it easier for veterans to adjust to civilian life or help them follow their dream of owning and operating their own business," wrote Don Fertman, Subway's chief development officer.

For more information about how the NRAEF helps veterans, visit chooserestaurant.org.