Veterans Day is here, Tuesday the 11th, and across franchising a clear pattern stands out; brands are giving back by operating in their zone of expertise. Dry cleaners are caring for uniforms with dignity, haircare chains are turning chairs into a practical “thank you,” and restaurants are feeding people at scale. The most effective gestures feel familiar because they are rooted in everyday strengths. That is the sweet spot; service that already lives inside a company’s core expertise, repurposed to honor the people who have served.
ZIPS Cleaners Keeps Support Close to Home
ZIPS Cleaners, a 70 plus unit chain based near Baltimore, is marking November with a set of initiatives that fit its core expertise. The brand is offering a discount on the dry cleaning and laundering of military uniforms for active duty service members and veterans, with additional discounts available at participating locations. On Veterans Day itself, ZIPS will donate 1 percent of all sales on November 11th to Wounded Warrior Project. The company is also using its regional footprint to spotlight the National Football League’s “Salute to Service” during November game broadcasts for the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Commanders.
One detail aligns especially well with the spirit of the holiday; ZIPS cleans American flags for free year round. In practice, that means a customer can bring a weathered flag into a ZIPS location any month of the year and walk out with a clean, ready to fly flag at no charge. The service functions like a community promise; it is simple, useful and consistent with what the company does every day.
ZIPS’ approach reads as practical rather than performative. Uniforms are central to military life; lowering the cost of keeping them inspection ready is tangible support. Donating a percentage of sales on the 11th connects store traffic to a national nonprofit that focuses on veterans’ needs well beyond a single date on the calendar. Spotlighting “Salute to Service” during Ravens and Commanders games meets local audiences in an authentic setting, which increases awareness without asking fans to add another to do item to their day. Every element lives inside ZIPS’ normal operating rhythm; that is why store teams can execute the plan with confidence and why customers can easily take part.
Salons Lead With What They Do Best
Haircare brands use Veterans Day to offer no cost services and to fund education that helps veterans transition to civilian careers; the chair becomes the vehicle for gratitude. Free cuts are a practical thank you that veterans can use immediately, and scholarship dollars reduce friction for trade school and college. These efforts are straightforward for stylists and store teams to execute because they mirror daily operations; for customers, they are simple to understand and easy to share.
Great Clips is marking the program’s 13th year with free haircuts for veterans and active duty service members on November 11th; non-military customers who visit that day can pick up a free haircut card to give to a service member, redeemable through December 5th, 2025. Since 2012, the brand reports more than 2.5 million free haircuts valued at over 39 million dollars. Greatclips.com outlines the details and redemption window.
Sport Clips is running its annual Help A Hero campaign with the VFW through November 15th, aiming to raise money for scholarships; participating stores will also offer free haircuts to veterans and active duty service members on Veterans Day. The brand notes an additional 2 dollar donation for every haircut service on November 11th at participating locations. Sportclips.com provides the program specifics, with a corresponding press release announcing this year’s goal.
Restaurants Lead With What They Do Best
Restaurants reliably take center stage on Veterans Day because their kitchens and dining rooms are natural venues for gratitude. People.com’s national roundup captures the breadth of activity; from tacos and burritos to burgers and shrimp plates, from smoothies to coffee. People.com reported Chipotle’s buy one get one entrée window that covers tacos, burritos and bowls; Applebee’s offering a free entrée from a select menu with a 5 dollar return-visit card; Red Robin’s complimentary Big Tavern Burger with a side; and Red Lobster’s free Shrimp & Chips entrée.
The list also notes beverage-centric offers such as Starbucks’ free tall hot or iced coffee for veterans, service members and spouses, plus promos from brands like Smoothie King. Each is spelled out with timeframes, eligibility and participation notes so guests can plan. The format plays to restaurant strengths; managers are accustomed to staffing for promotional surges, adjusting prep and pacing service in tight windows, which makes these offers predictable for guests and feasible for teams across hundreds of locations.
Why Zone-of-Expertise Givebacks Resonate
Three traits make these Veterans Day initiatives especially effective.
First, the service is native to the brand. ZIPS cleans and presses garments and household textiles; a uniform discount and free flag cleaning are natural extensions of the service menu. Restaurants feed people; serving a meal within a time window is muscle memory. Haircutting brands cut hair; opening chairs to veterans on a specific date is operationally straightforward. When a giveback does not require new equipment, an unfamiliar supply chain or complex staff retraining, the risk of friction at the point of service drops sharply.
Second, the offers are easy to explain. A clean sentence, a defined time window and a clear eligibility standard help both guests and staff. “Free entrée from a select menu and a 5 dollar gift card,” “buy one get one free from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.,” “free coffee for veterans, service members and spouses,” “1 percent of sales donated on November 11th,” “free flag cleaning all year.” Every one of those messages fits on a poster, a push notification, a social graphic or a quick mention on air during a game. In a busy service environment, that clarity keeps front line teams from having to navigate unknowns while the line grows at the counter.
Third, the impact is easy to see. A veteran walks out with a fresh cut, a hot meal, a cleaned uniform or a refreshed flag; benefits that are immediate and visible. On the philanthropic side, a day of store traffic translates to dollars for organizations that support veterans well beyond November. For customers, the connection between an everyday purchase and a larger mission is clear at the register.
Repeatability also counts. Consistency builds trust. When a guest knows a brand will honor veterans on the 11th in a certain way, year after year, it becomes part of how that family organizes the day. Free flag cleaning that is available in all year round sends a different message than a one day offer; gratitude is not confined to a single square on the calendar. The cobination creates authenticity.
The Bigger Picture; Gratitude That Scales Without Spectacle
What emerges from these efforts is a portrait of franchising at its most grounded. A dry cleaner does what it does best; cleans uniforms, cares for flags, builds a donation into a day of business and shines a light on a national salute inside local game broadcasts. A salon does what it does best; opens its chairs to say thank you and, in many cases, helps raise scholarship dollars that support education and training. A restaurant does what it does best; feeds people, at scale, with a clear invitation and a clear timeline. None of this asks a brand to become something it is not. Instead, each brand brings its daily expertise to a moment of national appreciation; a moment of franchise heart.
That is the strength of zone-of-expertise giving. It is precise rather than flashy; it respects guests’ time; it stacks small actions into community scale results. For veterans and families, the message is simple; you are seen, you are welcome here, and we are grateful. For brand teams, the task is equally clear; show up with what you do well, do it consistently and let the impact speak for itself.
