The Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management Extension program is dedicated to providing research-based educational opportunities to Iowa food and lodging organizations. The program is part of Families Extension in the College of Human Sciences. The Extension Specialist works with hotels, restaurants, bed and breakfasts, schools, hospitals, daycares, and assisted living organizations to improve operations and better serve their patrons.

The Extension Specialist is a faculty member in the Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management academic program and works with other faculty to develop programs and services for these organizations. An example of this programming is the School Foodservice Summer Short Courses.  These courses have been held annually since 1948 in partnership with the Iowa Department of Education to provide training and support to school and child care foodservice managers in improving food preparation, financial management, food safety, and human resources.

The mission of Iowa State University Extension's Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management program is to provide research-based educational opportunities to food and lodging organizations to improve operations and better serve families and citizens of Iowa. Programs focus on areas such as food safety, human resources, and operations management.