GRA Weekly

May 23, 2021

This week's newsletter is brought to you by SpotOn.

PLEASE SIGN NOW!

SBA Announces RRF Portal Will Close May 24.

The Small Business Administration announced that the Restaurant Revitalization Fund portal will close at 8:00PM ET on Monday, May 24.

Take Action - Sign Your Name

The RRF has received more than 303,000 applications requesting a total of $69 billion in relief funds. With these initial requests already exceeding the allotted $28.6 billion, the National Restaurant Association launched a new Action Alert urging additional funds to the RRF. Help us urge policymakers in Washington – from the White House to Capitol Hill – to replenish the RRF to maximize relief for small independent and franchise restaurant operators. Sign the petition calling on federal leaders to act now! Add your name to show your support of the restaurant industry.

MIXED DRINKS TO-GO GUIDANCE

On Friday, May 21, the Georgia Department of Revenue (DOR) partnered with the Georgia Restaurant Association (GRA) to provide an overview of their SB 236 Retail Sale of Mixed Drinks To-Go FAQ Sheet. It goes over what an approved tamper, evident containers are, the definition of "entrée", who can sell mixed drinks to-go and more. In addition, the GRA submitted a few additional questions that DOR has clarified. Read More.

LET'S PLAY GOLF!

We invite you to join us on the course for the 10th Annual GRA Golf Tournament, presented by Coca-Cola.

The GRA Golf Tournament raises funds for the GRA PAC, the only Political Action Committee dedicated to serving the restaurant industry in Georgia. Your donations help us contribute to candidates that support the foodservice industry, fight legislation that can hurt your business and organize grassroots campaigns to advocate for our industry.

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Atlanta National Golf Club

#STRONGERTOGETHER

#StrongerTogether: PepsiCo Commits More Than $1,000,000 to Asian American Community Amid Pandemic Setbacks and Increased Race-Based Attacks.

Recognizing the devastating business and social impact to the Asian American community over the past year, PepsiCo and The PepsiCo Foundation announced a $1,000,000 commitment to provide support in partnership with the Asian American Business Development Center (AABDC), the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF), the National Restaurant Association (Association) and The Asian American Foundation (TAAF). These efforts are part of Stronger Together, community-based programs that leverage the expertise of PepsiCo and its partners to connect people and support communities in need. Read More.

Pepsico Stronger Together Asian Restaurant Support Information Request.

Asian-owned restaurants have been impacted by the pandemic and increased racial discrimination. PepsiCo, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF), and the National Restaurant Association are collaborating to provide Asian restaurants with training, resources and employer support programming to help them rebuild or plan for what’s next. Learn More.

GRA PREFERRED TECHNOLOGY PARTNER

San Francisco – May 19, 2021 – SpotOn, a leader in fully-integrated restaurant management systems and small business technology, was announced today as the preferred technology partner of the Georgia Restaurant Association (GRA). SpotOn will provide the GRA’s members with insight into the latest advances to help restaurants run more smoothly and grow more quickly.

As restaurants return to full capacity operations, restaurant owners and operators are adapting to changing consumer demands. According to Hospitality Technology’s survey of restaurant operators, nearly half of all restaurants expect to increase their IT budgets in 2021. SpotOn offers restaurant management technology with five-star service for restaurants of all sizes, including fast casual, fine dining, bars and nightlife. SpotOn provides restaurants with robust hardware and software to streamline operations, including a lightning-fast point-of-sale, reservations, online ordering, marketing tools and a digital loyalty program to drive repeat visits. Read More.

WHERE HAVE ALL THE APPLICANTS GONE?

It’s hard to find quality employees that show up to work and want to stay with the company, but many restaurants are rising to the challenge. If you’ve tried to hire anyone for your restaurant over the past few years, you’ve no doubt asked yourself, “Where have all the applicants gone?”

You’re not going crazy – there really are less people applying to work at restaurants, but there’s no single defining reason why this is happening. Turns out, it’s a mix of shifting cultural norms, a strong economy with a low unemployment rate and tighter immigration policies. Read More.

COVID VACCINE

GA DPH Will Come to Your Restaurant to Provide Vaccines for Your Employees.

In an effort to support the restaurant community's recovery from COVID-19, GA DPH is willing to come to your restaurant with a team of vaccine specialists to provide free vaccines and information for your employees. If you're interested in signing up, please email us at info@garestaurants.org.

RECRUITING AND RETAINING EMPLOYEES

Restaurant Reset: Recruiting and Retaining Employees.

Recruit and Retain Top Talent will provide tips on recruiting a great workforce and secrets to retaining employees. Join Lisa Rackley with the UGA SBDC in Macon and Rob Martin with the UGA SBDC in Albany to learn more about recruiting and retaining employees. Topics discussed in recruiting include job descriptions, setting a budget, where to look for employees and the secret sauce for recruiting. Topics discussed in retaining include setting expectations, onboarding, communication and training.

Tuesday, May 25, 2021 | 10:00AM - 11:00AM

SBA UPDATES

EIDL Loans.

SBA recently posted FAQs about funds returned by banks for Targeted EIDL Advance and Supplemental Targeted Advance. When a bank returns Targeted EIDL Advance or Supplemental Targeted Advance funds to SBA, the funds cannot be immediately re-disbursed. SBA is working to mitigate this issue. Read the FAQs.

PPP Loans.

SBA is currently offering PPP loans originated only by participating community financial institutions including Certified Development Companies (CDCs), SBA Microlenders, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), and Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) until May 31, 2021 or until remaining funds are exhausted. Please note that not all community financial institutions are participating in PPP. Read More.