Missouri Restaurant Weekly

Our 2015 President, Mr. Bob Luke

Missouri Restaurant Association members and friends gathered in Springfield on the evening of January 25th for the 2015 edition of the MRA President's Inaugural Ball. In his inaugural address, delivered to a sold-out crowd at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, 2015 MRA President Bob Luke praised the volunteer spirit that has enabled the association to carry on its mission of service to the foodservice and hospitality industry. Noting the challenges the industry faces, Luke credited many of those in the audience for their past and current service and proclaimed his confidence that MRA would continue to rise to the challenge. He encouraged all those in attendance to become involved in the association.

Bob is a senior regional manager overseeing 6 restaurants in Missouri and Oklahoma for Rib Crib BBQ. Joining the president at the event were 10 past MRA presidents, as well as board members from throughout the state. Also in attendance were Bob's parents, Dick and Sally Luke, and his wife and MRA First Lady, Shelli.

During the evening, MRA celebrated the induction of Springfield restaurateur Gary Leonard into its Hall of Fame. Gary is the second member of his family to be so honored. His late father, Herb Leonard, entered the Hall of Fame in 1988. Gary owns and operates several Steak 'n Shake locations in Springfield and Lebanon.

Jerry Shackette, who recently retired from the College of the Ozarks, received MRA's Distinguished Service Award for his extraordinary contributions to the industry. During his tenure, the college established a bachelor of science degree in culinary arts.

Kevin Harrison, an agent with Naught-Naught Insurance in Columbia, received the MRA Membership Award. Mr. Harrison sold the most MRA memberships in 2014.

See this article on MOrestaurants.org

Not Attending MRA Legislative Day? Please Reconsider!

MRA members from across the state will be in Jefferson City on February 17th for the association's Annual Legislative Day. Although MRA maintains a presence at the Capitol on each day the Missouri legislature is in session, this is the day where we join in force in the largest numbers to speak to our state senators and representatives about matters of particular importance to Missouri restaurants and other small businesses.

There is never a scarcity of matters to discuss with legislators. This session, we must work to pass recently filed legislation that would stop the assessments restaurants are receiving for an employee's Missouri income tax liability on the employee's under-reported cash tip income. This matter has received extensive coverage in recent MRA e-Newsletters and our January magazine. If your restaurant has not been the target of this unjust audit initiative by the Missouri Department of Revenue, it likely will be. Restaurants are being issued assessments of over $40,000, and the frequency of the audits is increasing dramatically.

We need to support a five-year extension of a bill known as the Big Government Get Off My Back Act, as well as legislation that creates a sales and use tax exemption for utilities used in the preparation of food sold to customers. MRA is also supporting a tort reform bill that provides valuable protections for business owners.

There's a lot more you should know...

Technology, lifestyle; food choices evolving trends for 2015

Technology is a rapidly evolving trend for 2015. According to the National Restaurant Association's 2015 Restaurant Industry Forecast, roughly one-quarter of consumers say technology options are important features that factor into their decision to choose a restaurant.

This is up from the nearly one-fifth the prior year that said the same, underscoring that technology quickly is becoming an expectation rather than a novelty when dining out.

"Consumers - especially younger generations - have come to expect certain connectivity attached to their dining experiences, be it the ability to order restaurant delivery with a smartphone app, access wi-fi in their favorite coffee shop, or review menus and make reservations online," said Hudson Riehle, the NRA's senior vice president of research.

"While restaurateurs understand their guests' desire for technology options and more are adopting various forms thereof, the cost and integration into existing store systems can still pose challenges," Riehle said.

How does lifestyle affect diners?

ACA reporting rules pose challenges for employers

Employers with 50 or more full-time-

equivalent employees are still waiting for final word from the Internal Revenue Service about the annual forms they will be required to file with the government under the Affordable Care Act.

The IRS issued draft forms last summer spelling out the information covered employers will need to provide to the tax agency and employees, and in what format, but hasn't yet finalized the forms or instructions.

The agency also hasn't issued the technical specifications that employers need to fully build and program their systems to track and report new ACA-required data.

Covered employers must file the first forms and statements in early 2016, based on data tracked in 2015. The information is required under two new federal tax code sections:

More on reporting documents here