GRA Weekly

November 23, 2022

This week's newsletter is brought to you by GRA Corporate Partner Healthy Hospitality.

AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE

Secure Affordable Health Insurance for Your Employees

The GRA provides a FREE service to help members of any size obtain affordable health insurance for their employees, regardless of how many hours they work. This service is especially powerful for small businesses that cannot afford traditional health insurance. And with open enrollment underway, now is the time to explore these options.

What this means for you? Through our Healthy Hospitality Program, 4 out of 5 people find health insurance for $10 a month or less with ZERO employer contribution. For those employers who want to go even further, we have low-cost dental, vision, and life insurance policies, plus an amazing telehealth plan through Teladoc that provides unlimited healthcare and mental health services for an employee’s whole household. In many instances, all you need to do is share the resources with your employees; licensed experts are ready to help you and your employees navigate all of your options over the phone with support in 200+ languages. Many of these options are also available to the employer and his/her family, and to immigrant workers.

4 out 5 people are finding individual and family health insurance for $10/month or less

It’s the time of year when many of our members are looking at their employee benefits for the next year. With labor shortages across the country, the team here at GRA is working hard to make sure you have access to several options to attract and retain top talent. We wanted to be sure to remind you about an option that’s available as a free service for every size member employer, Individual and Family - Health insurance from Healthy Hospitality.

With this free service, your employees have access to health insurance plans that work for them, no matter how many hours they work. Licensed experts will explain the most affordable options, provide insurance quotes from multiple carriers, ensure employees get all available financial assistance, and can enroll employees and their families easily over the phone with support in 200+ languages.

Here’s how to take advantage of the program:

Print these flyers (English / Spanish) and post in staff areas / hand out to your team AND Be an employer of choice!

All of this is available at NO COST to employers. Open Enrollment runs through January 15. Don’t wait – Enrolling by December 15th to start coverage on January 1st.

You can find more information on the program by calling 1-833-947-0211 or visit: Georgia Restaurant Association | Hospitality-Health.com or contact Sarah Thorson to get started. Enroll by December 15 to start coverage on January 1, 2023; open enrollment officially closes on January 15, 2023.

Get Started Today!

SAVE ON ELECTRIC RATES!

The Time to Save on Electricity Costs is Today

The Georgia Restaurant Association fought hard for restaurants to have access to a rate that was previously only available to large, multi-unit chains. If you are a restaurant that uses Georgia Power, identifies as 722 in NAICS, and meet the actual peak demand requirement of not less than 30 kW, then you should reach out and ask about switching to the TOU-FD. We have heard testimonies from independent restaurants from across the state reporting an average savings of 10%-15% on their power bill.

You may contact Georgia Power’s Business Solutions Center directly at 1-888-655-5888. If you have any questions, you can contact us and we are happy to assist to the best of our ability or connect you with a trusted partner.

Background: Every 3 years, the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) holds hearings regarding the electricity rates suggested by Georgia Power. In 2019, the Georgia Restaurant Association (GRA) filed a rate case with the PSC against Georgia Power. There are over 80 different electricity rates. Restaurants and other medium businesses pay more for a unit of electricity than residential consumers and large manufacturers. Prior to 2020, large chains and franchises paid less for a unit of electricity than an independent restaurateur. The GRA successfully petitioned opened 3,000 slots for any restaurant filed as 722 of the NAICS to have access to the lower rate. The new rate is called Time of Use Food and Drink (TOU-FD).

GREEN LINE RATES

SUPPORT THE FUTURE

Did you know that you can generate donations while shopping, at no extra cost?

Simply start your shopping at smile.amazon.com/ch/85-0672071 to confirm "Georgia Restaurant Association Foundation" as your charity of choice, and AmazonSmile will donate a portion of your eligible purchase price to our organization.

WHAT'S HOT 2023 CULINARY FORECAST

What’s Hot 2023 Culinary Forecast

Don’t miss the What’s Hot 2023 Culinary Forecast of top menu items, emerging trends to watch, and macro-trends influencing restaurant business operations.

More than 500 professional chefs across the country voted on 110 survey items curated by the Association and Technomic’s Menu Research & Insights Division.

The What’s Hot 2023 Culinary Forecast presents the top 10 Hot Trends overall, the top Hot Trends by category from dayparts and menu parts to beverages and condiments, and the top 3 Hot Trends from each category.

What are your customer's craving? Download your report today!

CITY OF ATLANTA

Mayor Andre Dickens Announces $3.5 million Loan Program to Help Small Businesses Acquire Property

ATLANTA—Mayor Andre Dickens announced the launch of a new $3.5 million loan program to support local small businesses by building equity. Through the Atlanta Commercial Down Payment Assistance Loan Program (CDPA), Atlanta small businesses are eligible to apply for a direct loan of up to 20 percent of commercial property costs up to $200,000 to acquire commercial property. Read more.

FEDERAL UPDATES

FDA issues food traceability final rule

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued last week its final rule Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods. Designed to facilitate faster identification of potentially contaminated food, the regulation requires restaurants to maintain specific records for foods on the Food Traceability List (FTL); however, some notable exemptions and flexibilities are given to smaller, individual restaurants.

What this means for restaurants: Restaurants must comply with new record-keeping requirements by January 20, 2026. In the coming weeks, the Association will conduct a webinar detailing how the new traceability regulation affects restaurants. In the meantime, restaurants are encouraged to register for the FDA webinar on Dec. 7, 2022, and review additional food traceability resources on the agency’s FSMA Final Rule: Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods webpage.

Association comments on proposed data security rule

The Association and Restaurant Law Center (RLC) submitted comments to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) last week in response to its proposed commercial surveillance and data security rulemaking. Both groups sought to limit the scope of proposed regulations and exempt or provide safe harbor for the restaurant industry since restaurants do not engage in such regulated practices and are under-resourced. For more information, read our media statement or contact Association director of Technology and Innovation Policy Brennan Duckett.

What this means for restaurants: Still in the preliminary stage of the rulemaking process, the FTC will review stakeholder comments before it releases a proposed rule and later a final rule which can take months and sometimes years.

RESTAURANT BUSINESS SURVEY

Take the Restaurant Business Conditions Survey | Deadline Nov. 30

We need your help! The National Restaurant Association is collecting information about current business conditions in the restaurant industry. If enough Oklahoma restaurant operators respond to the survey we will have state specific data we can use when advocating for our industry during the upcoming legislative session. Please be assured that all information provided is anonymous and strictly confidential. The survey should take less than 15 minutes to complete. Please submit a completed survey by November 30.

Take the Survey.

ERTC

DONATE TODAY!

Help support the Atlanta Community Food Bank this holiday season. For every $1 donated, ACFB is able to provide up to eight meals to food-insecure kids, seniors, and families in all our communities. Make an impact through a donation or create your own food/fund drive.