Visit Orlando has announced that its 2025 Magical Dining program raised $398,307 for Orange County charities, marking a 13% increase from the previous year. The funds were collected through the annual event, which featured pre-fixe menus at more than 160 local restaurants, including several recognized by the MICHELIN Guide. Up to $2 from each meal purchased during the program was donated directly to local charitable organizations.
Since adding a charity fundraising element in 2009, Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining has generated nearly $3.3 million for local causes. This year’s primary beneficiary was REED Charitable Foundation, an organization dedicated to addressing literacy challenges by providing accessible and affordable educator training based on how children learn to read.
“Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining showcases the best of Orlando’s food scene and culinary talent, offering great deals for locals, driving business to restaurants and raising funds for charities in our community,” said Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando. “This milestone 20th year not only delivered a record donation but also welcomed a record number of participating restaurants—including 24 newcomers and 15 MICHELIN Guide honorees—reflecting our community’s growing enthusiasm for Orlando’s ever-evolving dining scene. We’re grateful for every diner and restaurant partner whose participation is helping drive meaningful change throughout Central Florida.”
In addition to supporting REED Charitable Foundation, Visit Orlando distributed $3,000 grants to six other nonprofits across Orange County commission districts: Boys 2 Men Mentoring (mentorship programs), Early Learning Coalition of Orange County (early education support), Finding the Lost Sheep (tutoring and STEAM activities), Nuevo Sendero (counseling and art-based programs), Samaritan Resource Center (adult literacy/ESL support), and Therapy Wish (speech/language therapy funding).
“We were deeply honored and grateful to be chosen as the nonprofit beneficiary for the 20th anniversary of Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining program,” said Jennifer Knopf, founder and President of REED. “We know that ensuring every child is equipped with the life-saving skills that come with literacy is vital to creating a thriving community. Thanks to the generous support of this program, REED Charitable Foundation will be able to do just that by expanding our impact across Orlando and equipping more educators with the essential knowledge and support to confidently teach every child how to read.”
Four restaurants received special recognition during this year’s event: Otto’s High Dive was named top performing new restaurant in the $40 menu category; The Chapman led among new entries in the $60 menu category; STK Orlando saw the largest increase in meals served compared with last year; Seasons 52 – Orlando was recognized as top performing restaurant overall.
Orlando Health continued its role as presenting sponsor after first partnering with Visit Orlando on Magical Dining in 2024. The partnership aims to promote healthy travel options while supporting high-quality medical services available within Central Florida.
“It’s inspiring to see how residents of Orlando and beyond came together to support the REED Charitable Foundation and other nonprofits, as well as our local businesses, through Magical Dining,” said Erick Hawkins, chief financial officer of Orlando Health and Visit Orlando board member. “As a healthcare organization, we deeply understand how critical strong literacy skills are to lifelong well-being, and we are grateful for the opportunity to support Visit Orlando as they continue working to empower our community.”
More information about this initiative can be found at https://www.orlandomagicaldining.com/.
Visit Orlando describes itself as The Official Tourism Association for what it calls “the most visited destination in the United States.” As a not-for-profit trade association representing over 1,600 member companies across all segments of Central Florida tourism—including theme parks recognized globally—the organization works internationally on branding efforts while connecting consumers with travel resources through platforms such as https://www.visitorlando.com/, https://www.visitorlando.org/, or https://www.orlandomeeting.com/.
