GRA Weekly

January 27, 2022

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

STATE OF THE PLATE

GRA CEO + President Karen Bremer breaks down the start of the Georgia Legislative Session. Listen now to catch up on what the State is working on and the impact they could have on restaurants.

PLEASE HELP US TAKE ACTION!

Tell Congress to replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund!

Congress is weeks away from considering a spending bill for all government operations. If the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) has a chance of being replenished, we need to press loudly for action. All eyes are on the Senate to take the first step.

Please Help Our Industry by Urging Your Senators to:

Replenish the RRF by cosponsoring the Continuing Emergency Support for Restaurants Act (S. 2675); AND
Attach this legislation to the upcoming government spending package.

The RRF has been an incredibly effective recovery tool for the restaurant industry, but its initial appropriation of $28.6 billion has left 177,000 eligible restaurants without funds.

SIGN THE PETITION TODAY!

GRA IN THE NEWS

Survey shows many Georgia restaurants feeling impacts of Omicron

Survey shows how Omicron has waylaid Georgia restaurants

Atlanta Business Chronicle - With Georgia's restaurant industry still recovering from the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, Omicron dealt a fresh blow. The newest COVID-19 variant and its corresponding surge hammered another dent into restaurant sales, according to a recent survey conducted by the National Restaurant Association. The impact: 74% of respondents in Georgia said business conditions are worse now than they were three months ago. Only 2% have seen conditions improve over the past three months. Read more.

TASTE OF GEORGIA

13th 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 2022 Georgia Grown Executive Chef Program will also be recognized.

GRA Restaurant Members: If you are interested in participating and showcasing your restaurant, send us an email at info@garestaurants.org.

When: Wednesday, February 23, 2022 | 5:00PM - 7:00PM

Where: Georgia Railroad Freight Depot | 65 Martin Luther King, Jr., Drive SE, Atlanta, GA 30334

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

Interested in sponsoring? Send us an email at info@garestaurants.org

UPCOMING WEBINARS

NEW! Living with the Department of Labor’s New Dual Jobs Final Rule While The Federal Courts Consider Its Validity

Thursday, February 17, 2022 - 3 PM ET

In this webinar, Angelo Amador, Regulatory Counsel for the National Restaurant Association and Executive Director of the Restaurant Law Center, will host Paul DeCamp and Kathleen Barrett from Epstein Becker Green, two of the outside attorneys leading the lawsuit challenging DOL’s Dual Jobs Final Rule. Mr. DeCamp is also a past Administrator of DOL’s Wage and Hour Division. They will provide an overview of what the new regulations require, the claims presented in the lawsuit filed by the Restaurant Law Center and the Texas Restaurant Association, and the status and next steps in the litigation. They will also offer suggestions and answer questions on how to comply with the regulations in the meantime with as little disruption to restaurant operations as possible. Register here.

FEDERAL UPDATES

88% of Restaurants Saw Business Decline Due to Omicron

The National Restaurant Association released its latest operator survey this week, which found that 88% of restaurants saw indoor dining decline in recent weeks due to the omicron variant of COVID-19, and over half of respondents had to reduce their hours as a result. Most disturbingly, 46% of operators that applied for, but did not receive a Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) grant do not think they will be able to stay in business without additional federal relief. The Association sent a letter to Congress urging replenishment of the fund. Read more.

IRS Issues Guidance on ERTC Retroactive Termination

The IRS has issued guidance on the retroactive termination of the COVID-related employee retention tax credit (ERTC) for the 4th calendar quarter of 2021. The guidance is for employers that paid wages after September 30, 2021 and either 1) reduced employment tax deposits in anticipation of the credit for Q4, or 2) received an advance payment of ERTC for those wages or but are now ineligible for the credit due to the change in the law.

ERTC Reinstatement Act Introduced

The Employee Retention Tax Credit, a valuable and popular COVID-19 relief tool for thousands of restaurants, was established in March 2020 to help small businesses retain and rehire employees who were let go due to the pandemic. The program ended early in Sept. 2021 to help fund the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Efforts to get it reinstated are underway. Read more.

OSHA Officially Withdraws Vaccine, Testing Mandate for Large Employers

Tuesday, following the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision blocking enforcement of the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) that mandated employers with 100+ employees to require COVID-19 vaccination or weekly testing, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) officially withdrew the ETS. You can see the full notice here. In the announcement, OSHA stated that “[it] is not withdrawing the ETS to the extent that it serves as a proposed rule.” Given the breath of the U.S. Supreme Court opinion with regard to OSHA’s ability to promulgate such a mandate, it will be interesting to see if OSHA does attempt to revive the mandate through a non-ETS regulatory process. You can read the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision here. We will continue to track this issue.

FREE SERVSAFE COURSE

ServSafe COVID-19 Conflict De-Escalation Course is FREE

Course offers restaurant employees guidance on how to reduce tensions and promote a safe environment when following mask and vaccination proof mandates. Teach employees how to ease tensions while maintaining the spirit of hospitality throughout all interactions. Get it here.

REST IN PEACE

James Augustus Smith, III, Former CEO, S&S Cafeterias

Macon, Georgia - James Augustus Smith, III, age 89, went to be with his Lord and Saviour on January 24, 2022. Private burial service will be held at Riverside Cemetery (Northgate). Memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, January 27, 2022 at First Presbyterian Church, Macon, GA with the Rev. Chip Miller and Rev. John Kinser officiating. Read more.

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE

Scholarship Applications available from the National Restaurant Association

Anyone pursuing a secondary education in the restaurant, foodservice & hospitality industry is invited to apply for an undergraduate scholarship starting Sat., Jan. 15 through Tues., March 15.

-Scholarships range from $2,500 to $10,000.

-For more info and to apply, visit ChooseRestaurants.org/Scholarships.

ATMOSPHERE TV FOR YOUR BUSINESS

ENTERTAINMENT HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER

Say goodbye to costly cable and frustrating customer service. Atmosphere is completely in your control. Powered by Apple TV, our channels are ready to play in just three easy steps. With our guided setup process you can choose the content you want, when you want it, by creating custom playlists from our freshly curated videos. It’s time to put your TV screen to work for your business. Learn more.