GRA Weekly

February 2, 2023

This week's newsletter is brought to you by GRA Corporate Partner Moore Colson.

STATE OF THE PLATE

CALLING ALL GEORGIA CHEFS!

2023 Georgia Grown Executive Chef Program

Calling Georgia chefs! The Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Georgia Grown campaign has again partnered with the Georgia Restaurant Association for a statewide, Georgia Grown Executive Chef program. Georgia Grown’s missions is to create a statewide, Georgia Grown Executive Chef program to promote and foster relationships between chefs and farmers. The program will create a mark of honor and distinction for each chef involved, and garner a greater awareness both among restaurateurs and consumers about the availability of quality, local products on Georgia’s restaurant scene. Every year, the new class of Georgia Grown Executive Chefs are honored at the GRA's Taste of Georgia Legislative Reception. Learn more and apply here.

TASTE OF GEORGIA

14th Annual Taste Of Georgia Legislative Reception

This annual event is an opportunity for GRA members to showcase their food to elected officials and for our legislators to network with our state’s second largest employer. The honorees of the 2023 Georgia Grown Executive Chef Program will also be recognized.

Attendance is complimentary for lobbyists, dignitaries, legislators, and staff, however registration is required. Discounted registration is available for GRA Restaurant Members.

GRA Restaurant Members

Showcase your restaurant at the upcoming Taste of Georgia Legislative Reception!

The GRA is seeking restaurants interested in showcasing their fares at the annual Taste of Georgia Legislative reception (Wednesday, February 22, 2023). This is a fantastic opportunity to market your brand and meet and greet with Georgia’s elected officials, their staff, and lobbyists who frequently dine out during legislative session. For more information on how to register, contact Katie Ashley.

GRA EXCLUSIVE WEBINARS

GRA IN THE NEWS

2023 Atlanta 500: Restaurants & Hospitality

Congratulations to GRA President + CEO, Karen Bremer, on being named one of the Atlanta's 500 Most Powerful Leaders in 2023: Restaurants & Hospitality by Atlanta Magazine. Read the full list.

Georgia bill would standardize food delivery services like DoorDash, UberEats

MONTHLY CLOSE PROCESS

Has Your Restaurant Optimized Your Monthly Close Process?The purpose of accounting is to provide timely and accurate financial information about a restaurant’s business. This financial information will allow leaders to assess the position and performance of their restaurant to continue as is or adjust course. To provide financial information to leaders on a timely and accurate basis, the accounting team should have an efficient, standardized monthly close process. Read more.

FEDERAL UPDATES

The FDA on CBD in food

Citing too many unknowns and the need for a new regulatory framework, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has declined to regulate CBD in both dietary supplements and foods—including those sold in restaurants.

Big picture: Adding CBD to foods remains illegal as it’s a key component in an FDA-approved drug.

Next steps: The Agency plans to work with Congress to establish a new regulatory pathway for CBD that balances consumer access and government oversight of risk management.

Biden to end public health emergency

The White House announced Monday that President Biden intends to end the COVID-19 national and public health emergencies on May 11.

Why it matters: Restaurants have been afforded menu labeling flexibilities under the emergency declaration. Although the Administration has not indicated when menu labeling requirements will resume, the Association advises restaurant operators to begin complying with the standard now.

Restaurant Revitalization Tax Credit Act Reintroduced

The Restaurant Revitalization Tax Credit (RRTC) has been reintroduced by Sens. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH). This legislation creates a special tax credit available to businesses that applied for the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) program, but were unable to receive a grant because the program ran out of funding.

To be eligible, restaurants must have experienced an average reduction in gross receipts in 2020 and 2021 of over 30% when compared to 2019 or a total reduction in gross receipts of over 50% in either 2020 or 2021 when compared to 2019.

The credit may be used to offset employment taxes up to $25,000 per quarter in 2023 and is refundable up to a total of $25,000 for all four quarters for employers that had an average of 10 or fewer employers in the fourth quarter of 2022. The cap on refundability is reduced by $2,500 for each additional employee over 10. Learn more.

The Restaurant Revitalization Tax Credit (RRTC) is open to RRF applicants that:

Were eligible for, but did not receive an RRF award due the program running out of funding
Experienced an average reduction in gross receipts in 2020 and 2021 of greater than 30% as compared to 2019 or a reduction in gross receipts of greater than 50% in either 2020 or 2021, as compared to 2019
Were in operation prior to March 14, 2020
Paid payroll taxes in at least two quarters during 2021

The Biskies™

The Biskies Contest ($35K for restaurants up for grabs)

At the height of awards season, General Mills Foodservice announces an exciting contest of its own to celebrate the restaurants where biscuits play a starring role on the menu. The Biskies™ Contest gives chefs, owners and employees of commercial restaurants the chance to win up to $20,000 for their unique biscuit creation in the categories of entrée, side or dessert. From Feb. 1 to March 31, 2023, the contest will accept submissions for original recipes that use Pillsbury’s new Southern Style Unbaked Biscuits and two or more additional ingredients.

The Biskies Contest Details

The Biskies Contest is open to chefs, owners or employees of commercial restaurants living in the United States or District of Columbia.
From Feb. 1 to Feb. 28, 2023, participants may log on to https://www.generalmillscf.com/the-biskies-contest or General Mills Foodservice’s Facebook or Instagram accounts to submit a photo of an original recipe using Pillsbury Southern Style Unbaked Biscuits and two or more additional ingredients, showing how their creation would be served.
Participants are asked to tag General Mills (@generalmillscf on Instagram or @generalmillsfoodservice on Facebook) and use the hashtag #thebiskiescontest. Posting as a story on Instagram or Facebook is not permitted for contest entry.
Recipes will be judged by the Chef of the Mills, and the top nominees will be selected based on originality, foodservice viability, creativity and how well the recipe incorporates the Pillsbury Southern Style Unbaked Biscuit product.
A public vote, taking place April 10 to April 30, 2023, will determine the final winners, including one (1) $20,000 Grand Prize Winner and three (3) $5,000 Runner-Up Winners for side, entrée and dessert categories.
For more information on eligibility, complete contest details and the official contest rules, restaurants should contact their General Mills Foodservice representative, call 1.800.215.6120 or visit https://www.generalmillscf.com/the-biskies-contest.

Learn more.

QSR + FSR IN-PERSON EVENTS

QSR and FSR to Launch New In-Person Events in 2023

Agenda highlights include keynotes from Andrew Cathy, CEO of Chick-fil-A; Trevor Haynes, President, North America of Subway; and Chris Tomasso, CEO of First Watch.

WTWH Media, LLC, has announced the launch of two in-person events for the restaurant industry in 2023, the QSR Evolution Conference and the NextGen Restaurant Summit. The events, which will be co-located at the Grand Hyatt Buckhead in Atlanta, will take place September 6-7, 2023.

The QSR Evolution Conference, which is presented by QSR, is the only event that focuses solely on the needs of quick-service restaurant operators. At this unique event, attendees will hear and share perspectives on running the quick-service restaurant of the future.

The NextGen Restaurant Summit, which is presented by FSR, serves as a connecting point for the NextGen and emerging full-service restaurant brands that are defining the future of full-service restaurants.

“Launching these events is a game-changing step for our brands,” says Greg Sanders, Group Publisher of QSR and FSR. “The opportunity to bring our unique audiences together in person to share and learn from one another is the perfect complement to our integrated media offerings. The agenda is highlighted by our keynote speakers: Andrew Cathy, CEO of Chick-fil-A; Trevor Haynes, President, North America of Subway; and Chris Tomasso, CEO of First Watch. Additional speakers include more than 80 accomplished industry leaders from across both sectors.”

“The overwhelmingly positive response we’ve received from speaker invitations is telling,” says Danny Klein, Editorial Director of QSR and FSR. “There is pent-up demand for the education and networking these events will bring to the restaurant industry.”

For full agenda and speaker rosters, visit the event websites at QSREvolutionConference.com and NextGenRestaurantSummit.com. Early-bird attendee registration will begin on March 1, 2023.