GRA Weekly

September 7, 2023

This week's newsletter is brought to you by GRA Corporate Partner, Society Insurance

GRA PRESIDENT + CEO KAREN BREMER TO RETIRE

Georgia Restaurant Association's Karen Bremer to Retire in January

The Georgia Restaurant Association (GRA) has announced that president and CEO Karen Bremer will retire on Jan. 16, 2024, after 13 years with the organization and 50 years in the hospitality industry. During her tenure at the helm of GRA, Bremer heightened awareness of the restaurant industry’s positive impact on the state’s economy. Keep Reading.

MEET THE EXPERTS

Speed Coaching + Power Networking

Register now to attend GRA's newest educational networking event - Meet The Experts, hosted in partnership with NCR, Ecolab, Moore Colson, and Sysco.

Meet the Experts will feature over a dozen industry experts for an evening of speed coaching and power networking. This new event offers restaurant and hospitality operators the opportunity to connect one-on-one with some of the biggest restaurateurs in the business, plus experts in HR, public relations, law, accounting, licensing, insurance, and more.

On Tuesday, September 26 from 4:00PM to 7:00PM at the NCR Headquarters, this event offers restaurant and hospitality operators the opportunity to connect one-on-one with some of the biggest restaurateurs in the business, plus experts in HR, public relations, law, accounting, licensing, insurance, and more. Learn more.

Tuesday, September 26 | 4:00PM - 7:00PM

GRA SCORES BIG IN JAMES MAGAZINE TOP LOBBYISTS

GRA Scores Big in JAMES Magazine Top Lobbyists

The Georgia Restaurant Association was named the 17th top trade & business associations in 2023. Also, special congratulations to GRA team members -

Karen Bremer - named one of the top 100 registered lobbyist.

Dedan McFadden - named one of the top

25 rising stars.

GRA ADVOCACY UPDATE

GRA Hosts Congressman Rich McCormick

Last week, the Georgia Restaurant Association advocacy team hosted a Kitchen Cabinet Roundtable with Congressman Rich McCormick (GA-06) at the Goldbergs Group Headquarters in Atlanta. GRA President & CEO, Karen Bremer, and Vice President of Government Affairs, Scott Bierman, led discussion on workforce development, rising food costs, credit card fees, and the advent of new technology within the industry. Thank you to all who attended!

Pictured, left to right: Dedan McFadden, Joseph Hsiao, Karen Bremer, Representative Rich McCormick, Jonathan Harding, Scott Bierman, Bradley Saxe

ATLANTA WORKS CONFERENCE

Atlanta Works Conference

SHRM-Atlanta is the professional home for HR practitioners, but we realize that there are people that manage employees daily who may have no HR background, education, or training, such as start-ups and entrepreneurs.

The Atlanta Works Conference will support people managers in ensuring they understand what’s needed to hire, train, pay, schedule, and generally manage their employees. The conference will take place at Georgia Tech on October 10.

GRA and SHRM-Atlanta are partnering on presenting the Atlanta Works Conference. GRA members receive a $25 discount on the hospitality/restaurant track when using promo code GRA-ATLANTAWORKS23 at checkout. To register or to find out more about the Atlanta Works Conference, click here.

Atlanta Works Conference

October 10 | Georgia Tech

WINNING THE GAME OF SAFETY

Winning the Game of Safety: A Football-inspired Guide to Safe Keg Handling in Restaurants and Bars

In the fast-paced world of restaurants and bars, much like in football, teamwork, strategy and precision play a pivotal role. Just as players must work cohesively to secure a victory on the field, the staff in restaurants and bars must collaborate seamlessly to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for patrons. One area where safety is paramount is keg handling. The following tips highlight the importance of teamwork and safety. Continue reading.

DINING WITH GRATITUDE THIS OCTOBER

Dining with Gratitude This October

Calling all Georgia restaurants and food service establishments, this October help Giving Kitchen raise critical funds and vital awareness by participating in Dining With Gratitude. The ask from GK is simple:

1) pledge at least $1,000 for food service workers in crisis through a direct donation or percentage of sales,

2) tell your staff about Giving Kitchen at lineup

3) in October, share with your customers you’re stepping up to support food services workers in crisis and invite them to dine with gratitude - they will send you a package for promotion kit in September. Register and find more details here.

FEDERAL UPDATE

Senate may vote on Credit Card Competition Act later this year

What’s happening: Thanks to everyone who contacted their senators to urge them to support the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA), the Senate may vote on CCCA before the end of the year.

What you should know: The big banks and credit card companies are working to block CCCA because it would lower swipe fees. Together, we can push back against their misinformation and build support for this commonsense legislation, which would save business owners like you an estimated $15B a year.
What’s next: In the coming weeks, the Association will share more ways you can help build support for CCCA. In the meantime, please tell Congress to support CCCA if you haven’t already.

Georgia Department of Revenue | Sales & Use Tax Rates Effective October 1, 2023

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

County affected: Rockdale

Please visit the Department’s website to view current, historical, and upcoming sales and use tax rate charts.

SERVSAFE FOOD SAFETY MONTH

WEEK 2 | Cracking the Code on Personal Hygiene

For week two of National Food Safety Month, we're taking a deep dive into personal hygiene and how the hygiene habits of food handlers affect food safety.

Resources: