GRA Weekly

June 2, 2022

This week's newsletter is brought to you by GRA Corporate Partner, Workstream.

HURRICANE SEASON

Atlantic Hurricane Season Began June 1

June 1 marks the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season, which has already been predicted to be above average.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that 2022 will be the seventh consecutive year of an above-normal season. Hurricane season lasts until November 30.

More information and best practices for the restaurant industry during severe weather can be found on our website.

WIND DOWN BY THE RIVER

Please join us on the banks of the Chattahoochee River for Wind Down by the River, a special reception in support of the National Restaurant Association Restaurant Political Action Committee and the GRA PAC*.

Through your attendance and support, we are able to reach candidates who will advance a pro-restaurant pro-business legislative agenda, fight onerous legislation and address the issues that are most important to YOU.

Tuesday, June 7 | 5:00PM - 7:00PM

FEDERAL UPDATES

OSHA Comment Period on Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses is Open

OSHA is proposing to amend its occupational injury and illness recordkeeping regulation to require certain employers to electronically submit injury and illness information to OSHA that employers are already required to keep under the recordkeeping regulation.

The comment period is open until June 30, 2022. Get more information and comment here.

Wage Theft, Data Privacy Bills Coming Soon

The House and Senate are out this week, but we can expect activity on wage theft and data privacy legislation during the next in-session work period.

What this means for restaurants: Depending on how the bills are written, restaurants could face costly fines for wage theft violations that were unintended and/or corrected by the operator, as well as steep costs to implement data privacy and security requirements. Small business restaurants would be disproportionately affected.

STATE + LOCAL NEWS

Georgia Department of Revenue | Sales & Use Tax Rates Effective July 1, 2022

The Georgia Department of Revenue has posted the upcoming quarterly sales and use tax rate changes.

Counties with S&U tax changes include: Calhoun, Haralson and Pike.Please visit the Department's website to view current, historical, and upcoming sales and use tax rate charts.

Workers Needed

Looking for workers? Get information about where you can post jobs and how to hire specific groups of workers (Teenagers, Refugees, Second Chance Hiring, etc.). Recently added was The City of Atlanta's Summer Youth Employment Program.

DOL WAGE & HOUR COMPLIANCE

Hiring Teens this Summer?

Be sure you are in compliance with US DOL Wage & Hour and Georgia regulations:

AL FRESCO DINING SIMPLIFIED

What You Need to Know About StreetDeck Parklets

There’s no sugar coating it, the pandemic has been a train wreck for the restaurant industry. We’ve had to come together and adapt in ways that we could never foresee. Today we can look back and see that our resilience has led to some beautiful metamorphoses that have forever changed the way our customers experience our food – one such butterfly is al fresco dining on raised, self-contained platforms called parklets.

If you’ve driven through College Park in the past 8 months you probably have noticed the 86’ streatery occupying 7 parking spaces just outside of Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen, The Real Milk and Honey, and Johnny’s Chicken and Waffles. This is an example of a StreetDeck modular deck system designed by Archatrak Inc. and it may be the most expansive parklet in the country to date. Continue reading.