This week's newsletter is brought to you by GRA Corporate Partner, The Coca-Cola Company |
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Bringing Insights Into Focus
Earlier this week, The Coca-Cola Company announced the launch of Coca-Cola Lens, an insights platform designed to empower our customers to make data-driven decisions for growth.
As the industry continues to navigate ongoing challenges, Coca-Cola Lens makes actionable insights more accessible, magnifying relevant trends to anticipate consumer preferences.
Coca-Cola has always been dedicated to driving growth with our partners. Now, you will be able to self-serve the actionable insights you need, precisely when you need them, empowering you to navigate the evolving landscape with confidence and agility.
Coca-Cola Lens utilizes proprietary tools and data, plus trends from secondary and third-party sources, to bring insights into focus via a digestible, user-friendly website. Accessible to all, the platform dives deep into the nuances of consumer behavior, and then zooms out to show the trends and context that make up the bigger picture, all with a forward-thinking outlook.
Please visit https://www.coca-colalens.com/ for more information.
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MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH | |
Let's 86 The Stigma Around Mental Health
Access free resources this Mental Health Awareness Month! Giving Kitchen is here to educate, advocate, inspire, and uplift when it comes to the mental and emotional well-being of food service workers. Explore and review the Stability Network resources to help you and your team's journey to optimal mental health.
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GRA ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT RECAP |  | |
GRA Annual Golf Tournament Recap
On Tuesday, golfers, sponsors, and volunteers came together at Atlanta National Golf Club in Milton, GA for an incredible day of golf in support of the GRA. Participating golfers enjoyed exciting raffle prizes, a delicious variety of food served by restaurants on the course, beverages provided by industry partners, and interactive contests along the course. See photos from the event here.
A huge THANK YOU to our long-standing sponsors and restaurant partners for helping make this event happen: The Coca-Cola Company, Gas South, Society Insurance, Sysco, US Foods, Ecolab, Bennett Thrasher, Brewed to Serve Restaurant Group & Bold Monk Brewing Co., GoTo Foods, HM Plumbing, Moore Colson CPA & Advisors, NCR Voyix, Ted's Montana Grill, IRONWOOD, Taqueria Tsunami, NetTax, Chick-fil-A, Copeland's of New Orleans, Corporate Sports Unlimited, Loyal Q and Brew, Melissa Libby & Associates (MLA), Savannah Distributing, and Tito's Vodka!
And a warm welcome and THANK YOU to our newest sponsors this year, we look forward to this being the first of many events with us – The Georgia Hemp Company, Rinnai, DoorDash, The Design Manufacturing Group, United Exterior Solutions & United Bin Cleaning!
Congratulations to the Top Scoring Teams:
- First Place: Sizzling Steak Concepts (Wilson Oswald, Pierce Brooks, Blake Kennedy, Jim Thompson)
- Second Place: IRONWOOD//GRA (Matt Hene, Nick Leet, Scott Bierman, Joe Kniple)
- Third Place: Bennett Thrasher (Chase Quinn, Shawn Roberts, Chris Frederick, Davis Reynolds)
Stay tuned for another chance to golf with us in support of the GRA Foundation this fall!
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Mail Theft Alert
The GRA has received official notice from the U.S. Postal Service about recent mail theft in our area. As a precaution, we strongly urge our members pay their dues invoices electronically and to please contact us directly to confirm if a recently mailed check payment has in fact been received by our office. For more information on how to protect yourself against mail theft, please visit the USPS’s website.
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ProStart Professional Development
Register today for ProStart Professional Development! Thanks to the 150 educators who joined us for ProStart PD’s inaugural session in 2023 and provided valuable feedback, we’re returning in 2024 with an experience that better reflects the needs of educators. Join us in 2024 to find:
- An expanded program covering Sunday-Friday, with room for up to 200 educators
- Full-day lab experiences
- A greater focus on aligning the training to the circumstances and experience of ProStart educators
- An updated exam
Join us this July in New Orleans, LA to equip yourself with tools to enhance your students' experience, encouraging them to pursue restaurant and hospitality careers. Register Today!
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Georgia Impact Report
Restaurants are engines of economic growth across the country, injecting billions into local and state economies. Whether it’s creating jobs, developing careers, or supporting local programs and businesses, the foodservice industry generates a significant impact in communities large and small. Click on our state impact reports to get a better idea of the size and scope of the restaurant industry where you operate, including no. of restaurants, jobs generated and sales as of the end of 2023.
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DIVERSITY AND DEMOGRAPHICS IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY | |
Diversity and Demographics in the Restaurant Industry
The National Restaurant Association's recent Data Brief showcases the diverse demographics of America's second-largest private sector employer—the restaurant and foodservice industry. Here are some key findings from the report:
- Ethnic Diversity: Half of all restaurant employees are minorities, significantly higher than the 41% in the total US workforce.
- Gender Representation: Women constitute 54% of the industry's workforce, with a majority in managerial and tipped positions.
- Youthful Workforce: 40% of restaurant workers are under the age of 25, emphasizing the sector's appeal to younger individuals.
- Educational Diversity: A notable percentage of employees are pursuing education while working, with 27% enrolled in school.
For more details on the workforce's composition across age, gender, ethnicity, and more, click here.
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USTR Maintains Tariffs on China, Announces Increases in Certain Products
This week, USTR announced that it WILL NOT reduce its current tariffs on China and will instead increase tariffs on various products, including electric vehicles, EV batteries, facemasks, semiconductors, and medical gloves. Additionally, tariffs on steel and aluminum products will increase to 25% in 2024.
Restaurant Impact: The Association has supported the elimination of these tariffs for years and is disappointed to hear that USTR will keep the tariffs in place. Many food products (vegetables, fruits, nuts, dairy, meat, grains, etc.), kitchen and food manufacturing and preparation equipment, and plastics (gloves, utensils, etc.) will continue to be affected by these tariffs. It also appears that USTR will not provide an extension of the current exclusions that apply to the ten seafood lines set to expire on May 31, 2024. Therefore, expect a 25 percent tariff on items currently subject to an exclusion, to restart June 1.
The big picture: USTR’s decision to maintain and increase tariffs is part of their ongoing strategy to address China’s unfair technology transfer policies.
What’s Next: Our coalition, Americans for Free Trade, released this statement, which opposes the Administration’s actions. Throughout this process, we have shared with the Administration why these tariffs are harmful for American businesses and consumers. A Federal Register notice will be issued next week outlining the procedures to comment on the proposed tariff increases.
USDA Testing Beef Amid Bird Flu Concerns
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced last week that it will test ground beef for bird flu.
Why it’s happening: Bird flu has been found in nearly 3 dozen dairy herds across 9 states. The new testing is the latest effort by the USDA to track and understand how the virus is spreading among livestock.
Key takeaway: Food safety experts are confident the nation’s beef supply remains safe. Milk pasteurization and proper beef cooking temperatures are proven ways to maintain safety.
Dive deeper: The USDA has updated protective equipment standards for food safety inspectors in meatpacking plants and directed workers to monitor if they feel any flu-like symptoms after exposure to potentially infected animals. The Association's food safety team continues to monitor developments.
DOL Announces 65% Increase to Overtime Threshold
The Department of Labor (DOL) has released its final overtime rule, significantly increasing the minimum annual salary threshold determining overtime pay eligibility under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) from $35,568 to $58,656. The rule will gradually come into effect, with an increase to $43,888 on July 1, 2024, and an increase to $58,656 effective January 1, 2025.
The Details: DOL sets a salary threshold to ensure eligible employees receive overtime pay for all hours worked over 40 in a work week.
- Using 2023 data, the new salary threshold equals $1,128 per week or $58,656 annually for a full-year worker.
- The rule also increases the salary threshold for the highly compensated employee (HCE) exemption from $107,432 to $151,164 annually.
- The HCE exemption will also gradually come into effect, with an increase to $132,964 on July 1, 2024, and an increase to $151,164 effective January 1, 2025.
What’s New: The final rule includes an automatic update to the overtime threshold every three years based on available wage data at that time.
- The DOL expects to announce the first such update on July 1, 2027, which will affect both the standard salary and HCE thresholds.
- This methodology was specifically opposed by the National Restaurant Association and Restaurant Law Center in comments submitted last year.
Who’s Affected: Unless specifically exempted, an employee covered by the FLSA must receive pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek at a rate not less than one and one-half their regular pay rate.
- Beginning on July 1, 2024, any employee earning under $43,888 will be owed overtime pay.
- On January 1, 2025, any employee earning under $58,656 will be owed overtime pay.
- This means that employees who were previously exempt from overtime pay may now be eligible, and employers may need to adjust their pay structures and work schedules accordingly.
Please see the DOL fact sheet linked here for information on determining if an employee is exempt.
Final rule on Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently issued its final rule and interpretive guidance implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which became law last year. The final rule will take effect June 18.
Why it matters: The final rule aims to provide clarity and guidance regarding employers' obligations to accommodate pregnant employees and applicants with known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.
Learn more:
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RESERVE YOUR SEAT AT THE TABLE | |
Reserve Your Seat at the Table
Come to the Table with an appetite for engaging topics and comprehensive insights from industry experts, thought leaders, and movers and shakers from across the food service industry.
The Table—a unique new event—will bring together members from our Finance, Tax & Audit, Food Safety & Quality Assurance, Human Resources and Risk & Safety, IT, Nutrition, and Sustainability Expert Exchange communities under one roof for three days packed with engaging topics and comprehensive insights.
Register today!
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HAVE YOU FILED YOUR CLAIM YET? | |
Restaurant Operators May be Eligible Settlement Funds
The Payment Card Settlement is the biggest antitrust class-action settlement in history and sets aside about $6B for millions of U.S. merchants who for years paid artificially inflated Visa and Mastercard interchange fees. If your restaurant accepted Visa and/or Mastercard at any time between Jan. 1, 2004, to Jan. 25, 2019, then you are likely a member of the class settlement and entitled to a share of the settlement.
The National Restaurant Association (NRA) and the Restaurant Law Center recently hosted a webinar on the “Payment Card Settlement: What it Means for Restaurant Operators.” A recording of this webinar and a copy of the power point presentation can be found here.
The claim window is open: The deadline to submit a claim either through the physical mailer or online is May 31, 2024. Go to www.paymentcardsettlement.com to submit a claim before the deadline.
Submitting a claim is easy: The claim process was designed to take only 5 to 15 minutes. The portal should even autofill most information when submitting the individual’s “Claimant ID” and “Control Number” found in the claim letter or by submitting the business’s Tax ID, if the claim letter is not available.
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Save on Electric Rates
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.
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