In the late 1980s, Edna Morris was leading human resources at Hardee’s and was asked by a reporter to be interviewed for a story about women in the restaurant industry. The reporter also asked if she knew of any other women who would be willing to go on the record.

The task was more daunting than she expected it would be.

“It was hard. I did find some. They existed, but we didn’t know each other,” Morris said during a recent interview.

So, the group made plans to get together in person in conjunction with the National Restaurant Association in Chicago and have some deeper conversations. That decision likely changed the course for women in the restaurant industry, as their camaraderie and shared experiences drove them to eventually create the Women’s Foodservice Forum.