October 2010 Archives

Driven by improving sales and traffic levels, as well as growing optimism in the restaurant community, the Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) bounced back in September to its highest level since April.

"The RPI's solid gain in September was the result of broad-based improvements among both the current situation and forward-looking indicators," said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the Research and Knowledge Group for the National Restaurant Association.  "Restaurant operators reported positive same-store sales and customer traffic levels for the first time in six months, which propelled the RPI's Current Situation Index to its highest level in nearly three years."

The RPI stood at 100.3 in September, up a solid 0.8 percent from its August level.  In addition, the RPI rose above 100 for the first time in five months, which signifies expansion in the index of key industry indicators. The National Restaurant Association's RPI is a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry.

Businesses with fewer than 20 employees pay about $10,585 per employee to comply with federal regulations, the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy estimated in a recent study.

That's about 36 percent more than what federal regulatory compliance costs larger firms, the September 2010 report says. Compliance with federal regulations costs larger firms about $7,755 per employee, according to the "The Impact of Regulatory Costs on Small Firms."

Watch our latest restaurant industry update video, where the National Restaurant Association's Senior Vice President of Research & Knowledge Hudson Riehle talks about the September Restaurant Performance Index and holiday dining.

You can also watch previous industry update videos online.

The National Restaurant Association's "America's Restaurants: Industry of Opportunity" video has taken the gold.

The eight-minute spot was recently named a Gold Winner in the 2010 MarCom awards, administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals. The international competition highlights creative excellence in print, visual and audio materials.

The piece features restaurateurs talking about how they got their start in the restaurant business -- and what the restaurant industry means to them. Check out the video here.

Restaurants can use all types of sophisticated technology to conserve water and energy. But the most effective tool sometimes is a 50-cent washer.

Stopping faucet drips can cut a restaurant's utility expenses by thousands of dollars. The Food Service Technology Center, an equipment-testing facility in San Ramon, Calif., has determined that full-service restaurants can lose $100 a week from leaky spigots in the kitchen, dish room and mop station.

As center officials note, any wasted water can be more than a drop in the bucket because restaurateurs pay for it at least twice: Once in their water bill and a second time in their sewer charges. If the water was hot, they also wasted the money to heat it.

The National Restaurant Association has joined with the National Association of Manufacturers and other business groups to ask Congress to act by year's end to renew several tax benefits for businesses.

Congress let several key tax benefits expire at the end of 2009. One item on the list is the NRA-backed 15-year tax depreciation schedule for restaurant spending on new construction and building improvements, retail improvements and leasehold improvements. If Congress doesn't retroactively extend the 15-year schedule, businesses must depreciate costs over 39.5 years in 2010 and beyond.

Bills to reauthorize the restaurant-depreciation schedule and other provisions have been pending without final action for months. Now Congress's only remaining chance to act is during the "lame-duck" session lawmakers will hold starting Nov. 15, after the elections.

Tell Congress that your business needs certainty to aid in the economic recovery. Add your name to this letter urging extension of these tax provisions. The National Association of Manufacturers created the letter as a courtesy but any business owner can add their name. The letter will be distributed to every member of Congress after the elections.

While federal law doesn't require employers to give employees time off to vote, many states require private-sector employers to give employees time off to vote, often with pay. FindLaw.com and BusinessBrief.com are just a few of the sites offering state-by-state time-off-to-vote charts.

Restaurants are involved in nearly every kind of community service. They sponsor youth sports, build playgrounds and homes, and raise money to fight debilitating illnesses. And some, like Glacier Brewhouse and ORSO restaurant in Anchorage, Alaska, work to ensure the future of the restaurant industry.

"If we want to have good culinarians down the road, we have to get involved," says Chef Patrick Hoogerhyde of the 260-seat Glacier Brewhouse.

Glacier and sister restaurant ORSO won a state Restaurant Neighbor Award in 2009 for preserving the ProStart program in Alaska high schools. ProStart is the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's two-year culinary arts and hospitality management curriculum. Nearly 83,000 students participate in 45 states, the District of Columbia and Defense Department schools throughout the world.

Four restaurant companies recently received recognition for their recruitment and retention efforts. The SPIRIT Awards, announced this month at the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators Convention in Orlando, honor companies that excel at nurturing their most critical resource - their people.

The SPIRIT Award winners are B&O American Brasserie, fine dining; Red Lobster, fullservice; Ivar's Seafood Bars, quickservice; and St. John Medical Center; onsite.

B&O American Brasserie, set in the original Baltimore & Ohio Railway headquarters in downtown Baltimore, has retained 91 percent of its staff since it opened in July 2009. It is committed to providing a caring, fun, challenging and rewarding environment through team-building activities, quarterly employee recognition luncheons, value awards and other and recognition initiatives.

Red Lobster, a Darden Restaurants concept based in Orlando, developed initiatives to connect its 63,000 employees to its business goals. Its innovative approaches have strengthened the company's focus on employees. As a result, employee morale, enthusiasm and feedback has been extremely positive.

Seattle-based Ivar's Seafood Bars, has fast casual operations, three full-service waterfront restaurants and 20 regional stadium concessions. Thanks to the company's benefits, recognition programs and training/development initiatives, turnover has job, and 98 percent of respondents to a recent employee survey considered it "a great place to work."

St. John Medical Center, Tulsa, Okla., here provides more than two million meals a year to patients, employees and visitors. Before 2004, the center's turnover rate for cooks averaged 33 percent. That's when Food and Nutrition Services implemented several innovative programs to retain and motivate cooks. The programs included a four-tier cook's career ladder and a culinary academy. Today, the department's employee relations Index is significantly higher than that of the entire medical center.

The SPIRIT Awards are offered by the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation, Nation's Restaurant News and the Coca-Cola. Co.

Do your part to increase participation in this year's election. Urge your employees and guests to vote.

Throughout the country, restaurant operators and their employees help increase voter turnout by making calls, supporting candidates and driving people to the polls.

Some restaurants encourage people to vote through election-themed promotions. Some name menu items for political candidates or parties. Others allow customers to use their premises for get-out-the-vote activities, such as phone banks. And some host debate-watching or election-return parties.

In Washington, D.C., Andy Shallal, owner of Busboys and Poets, is taking advantage of the Oct. 30 Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert rally on the National Mall. He's expecting 500 people for a post-rally event at one of his three locations. The event will feature Amy Goodman, host and executive producer of Democracy Now!, a national news program; Van Jones, a civil rights activist and attorney; and Ralph Nader.

Restaurants are natural places to encourage voting and civic participation, Shallal says. "Restaurants are centers for civic gathering, and every civic gathering needs food," he says. "We might as well use them to connect people with their society, their communities and democracy."

Other restaurants recognize the importance of voting through special promotions. Rockville, Md.-based California Tortilla plans to give free tacos on Nov. 2 to patrons who wear "I voted" stickers. The 37-location company has offered election-theme promotions since 1995.

Pittsburgh-based Eat 'n Park is offering free coffee to voters on Election Day in its 75 restaurants in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

What are you doing to encourage your employees and guests to vote? Let us know.

This week the NRA launched the first in what will be a regular series of webinars on labor and workforce issues. Our first session, on Oct. 20, featured legal experts discussing the Department of Labor's new enforcement initiative called "Plan, Prevent, Protect." NRA members can access the recording here.

In announcing the compliance initiative last spring, DOL Secretary Hilda Solis and other agency officials said they want to get employers more involved with their employees in finding and fixing wage and hour, safety and health, and other labor law violations before DOL investigators get to workplaces. The approach ramps up DOL resources for enforcement, but would also involve new regulatory proposals for employers.

While the NRA supports full compliance by businesses with employment laws, we are concerned that the DOL's expansive approach could translate into significant additional regulatory burdens for restaurants and other businesses. In addition to diverting resources away from the main purpose of the business, these regulations could encourage the filing of lawsuits or complaints with the DOL for perceived violations of the new regulatory scheme. The NRA will continue to engage aggressively as DOL issues the announced regulations, expected to happen in the coming months.

In the meantime, we encourage our members to take advantage of our webinar series and our member-exclusive Legal Problem Solver to understand the federal laws and regulations that affect them and learn how best to protect their businesses.

Amporn Vasquez grew up in a restaurant family in Thailand. Like many children of restaurant owners, she helped with simple kitchen tasks from an early age. But she never worked in the family restaurant.

At age 14, she ran away from an arranged marriage and lived on her own for three or four years. Then she moved to the United States with her new husband, an American serviceman.

When she accompanied him to Puerto Rico, she reconnected with her love of food. She visited women she met in markets or cooking on the street to see how they cooked in their homes. The ingredients were similar to those in Thai food, but prepared with different flavorings and techniques.

Today, at 65, Vasquez is executive chef of Pizza by Elizabeths in Greenville, Del., where her signature dishes are spicy and influenced by Thai and Latin cuisine. She also was a 2009 finalist for the National Restaurant Association's Faces of Diversity awards.

The restaurant industry added nearly 2,600 eating- and drinking-place locations in 2009, according to the latest data* from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Although the increase was well below the average annual gain of 11,000 locations between 2002 and 2008, the continued growth was impressive -- considering the extremely challenging business environment last year. 

On the state level, trends were a mixed bag. Twenty-six states (including the District of Columbia) added eating- and drinking-place locations in 2009, while 25 states lost such establishments.

New York added more than 1,000 eating-and drinking-place establishments in 2009, the most in the nation. Texas followed with 928. 

In percentage terms, Illinois led with a 3.1 percent increase in eating- and drinking-place establishments in 2009. New York, Texas, Louisiana and Hawaii had 2.6 percent more eating- and drinking-place locations last year than they did the previous year. 

In contrast, Arizona lost 428 eating- and drinking-place locations, down 4.8 percent from 2008. Minnesota and Kentucky registered losses above 2 percent in 2009, while Michigan and Colorado posted a 1.7 percent decline in the number of establishments. 

*The establishment figures, based on unemployment insurance filings of businesses with wage and salary employees, represent the most comprehensive census of establishments with payroll employees on national, state and local levels.

One of the hardest challenges for green-minded restaurants is finding ecological ways to sanitize their kitchens and dining rooms.

Chemicals seem to contradict that mission, but as one wag put it, potential pathogens aren't going to give themselves up. They have to be eradicated, and antiseptic cleaners are the proven method.

But operators have discovered greener ways of doing the job. The key, they stress, is researching the matter completely. Here's what some restaurateurs have discovered:

National Restaurant Association Vice Chairman Sally Smith recently was named operator of the year at the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators Conference. The award recognizes her exceptional leadership at Buffalo Wild Wings. Smith has been the Edina, Minn.-based company's CEO since 1996.

When Smith joined Buffalo Wild Wings as chief financial officer in 1994, she took one of the biggest risks of her life. Charged with finding money to grow the company, Smith set out to become an expert on the restaurant industry. By 1996, the company was profitable but had no cash flow. Previously she had been chief financial officer at what is now Miracle-Ear Inc.

A year later, the company was turning a profit. Smith and her leadership team become more selective about franchisees and eliminated the company's commissary and distribution system. They upgraded the restaurants to attract investors, swapped counterservice for tableservice and altered the company's name to Buffalo Wild Wings. The new name was a shortened version of the original name, "Buffalo Wild Wings and Weck," which loyal patrons dubbed "BW-3."

The Richard E. Marriott SAFE Golf Invitational raised $325,000 this month to support the National Restaurant Association's Save American Free Enterprise Fund.

The fund is the Association's main platform to advocate the restaurant industry's public policy priorities throughout the country. The fund allows the Association to work closely with state restaurant associations to protect the restaurant industry from harmful legislation.

Through SAFE, the Association provides expert resources and financial support to fight for restaurants' position on food safety and other important issues.

With more than 100 education sessions and culinary demonstrations - and thousands of exhibits - it's sometimes hard to choose how to make the most of your time at the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show.

A new NRA Show feature makes it easy for restaurateurs to see some sessions and demonstrations they might have missed. The NRA Show's e-Learning feature offers videos of culinary demonstrations and audio recordings of education sessions paired with PowerPoint slide presentations. The presentations can be accessed free throughout the year online.

"We are excited to make some of our key sessions and culinary demonstrations available 24/7, 365 days a year, for restaurant and hospitality industry professionals worldwide," said David Gilbert, chief operating officer, National Restaurant Association. "No other industry event offers more access to the world's top culinary, management and operational experts and trendsetters. The information and inspiration they provide can now be accessed at any time and shared with colleagues."

The NRA Show e-Learning presentations can help restaurant operators discover cutting-edge strategies tol help improve their businesses. Other audio presentations can be purchased through the NRA Show Web site.

NRA Show 2011 is set for May 21 through 24 at Chicago's McCormick Place. The International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event is set for May 22 and 23. A $30 early-bird registration discount for NRA Show 2011 and $85 for IWSB is available until Dec 1. Registration fees rise to $45 for NRA Show and $100 for IWSB between Dec. 2, 2010, and April 15, 2011. After April 15, registration fees rise to $90 for the NRA Show and $145 for IWSB.

NRA Show registration is free at any time for NRA members, and IWSB registration is $55.

Bob Ansara created a delicious recipe to raise money for breast cancer research - and celebrate more than 30 years in business.

With 1,215 gallons of Rosangel hibiscus-infused tequila, 5,000 gallons of spring water, 396 gallons of triple sec, 750 quarts of lime juice and 20 pounds of salt, the owner of Ricardo's Mexican Restaurant in Las Vegas created a 7,627-gallon pink margarita.

The concoction, mixed in a 7,800-gallon tank shaped like a giant cocktail glass, is the world's largest margarita. Mayor Oscar Goodman poured the last few ounces Friday "under the watchful eyes" of Guinness World Records officials.

The "crazy stunt," as described by National Restaurant Association Board member Ansara, brought together current and former team members, guests and tourists to raise money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure of Southern Nevada. It's just one of the creative ways restaurants are marking Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.

Hunger-relief organization Share Our Strength recognized two state restaurant associations Sunday for their participation in the Great American Dine Out.

The New Jersey Restaurant Association was honored for recruiting more restaurants than any other state. The Iowa Restaurant Association received an award for using the most innovative practices to promote the Great American Dineout.

Thanks to their work, and that of the other state restaurant associations, more than 130 independent restaurant signed up to participate in the weeklong event in September, said National Restaurant Association President and CEO Dawn Sweeney, who announced the winners Sunday at Share Our Strength's Conference of Leaders.

Employers have a one-year reprieve from a mandate requiring them to report the value of employer-sponsored health coverage on employees' W-2 forms.

The Obama Administration announced this week it will require employers to provide health-benefits information on W-2 forms starting in 2012. The mandate was originally supposed to apply to tax year 2011 W-2 forms, but the Treasury Department says it will make the data optional for 2011 in order to give employers more time to prepare for the requirement.

The IRS is soliciting comments on a new W-2 form with an extra field to accommodate the health-benefits information, and says it expects to make the revised W-2 final by the end of this year. The instructions for the new W-2 make it clear that employees do not owe taxes on the value of group health care coverage reported on the W-2.

The W-2 reporting mandate is part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the health care reform law enacted this spring. Get continuing information on the law and how it affects restaurant businesses at www.restaurant.org/healthcare.

The nation's nearly one million restaurants are encouraged to apply for the National Restaurant Association's 2011 Restaurant Neighbor Award for a chance to be recognized for community service contributions.

The annual award, given to restaurants that exemplify the industry's community support and philanthropic spirit, will honor four national winners with $5,000 contributions to their charitable projects. The deadline to apply online is January 11, 2011.

"We have encouraged America's restaurants to share their community service stories with us through the Restaurant Neighbor Award program for more than a decade, and each year brings new inspiration," said Dawn Sweeney, National Restaurant Association President and CEO.  "Restaurants are making a difference in communities across America. Restaurants nationwide contribute nearly $3 billion annually to charitable causes and we are honored to recognize them for it."

Restaurants aren't bypassing the bar in their drive to offer sustainable menu choices.

Many are remixing their drink programs to feature local options. Wyndham Hotels and Resorts recently adopted a "green bar" program at all of its North American sites and has even trademarked a name for its approach: Ecology mixology.

Others are using beverage menus to edge into organics.

Proponents note that beverage lineups can be a good way for restaurants to get their feet wet in sustainability. Securing adequate supplies of local beers, wines or spirits may be easier than lining up a consistent source of local produce, for example.

But experts say that restaurateurs should keep these tips in mind before taking the plunge:

Don't compromise on quality. Choose wines, juices or other beverages on the basis of their flavor, "not just because they are organic," says Fernando Salazar, Wyndham's vice president of food and beverage.

Think beyond the beverages. How will patrons perceive the ancillary aspects of a drink program, like the napkins, straws and garnishes? For instance, don't use a plastic menu book to showcase your green drinks, warns Salazar. Your assertions of being ecologically minded could be challenged.

Be pragmatic. Don't walk away from products your customers want. Try to build on that base with greener alternatives they might be willing to try. For instance, instead of dropping sodas, add some locally produced selections, says Elijah Goodwell of the Birchwood Café in Minneapolis. 

Brief the staff. Make sure your staff team is able to communicate accurately and effectively what the restaurant is doing to be greener. "Tell those stories-doing so creates demand for your product," says Birchwood's Goodwell.

The National Restaurant Association is now accepting applications/nominations for its 2011 Faces of Diversity awards, which celebrate diversity and inclusion in the restaurant industry.

"Our industry is full of amazing people of all cultures and backgrounds, which is one of the reasons it is so vibrant and unique," said Dawn Sweeney, National Restaurant Association President and CEO. "The restaurant industry is one of the most diverse industries in the country. We celebrate this uniqueness with our Faces of Diversity awards to emphasize that diversity strengthens the fabric of the restaurant community nationwide."

The Faces of Diversity awards program, created in partnership with PepsiCo Foodservice, aims to raise awareness of the importance of diversity and inspire others to expand their diversity efforts. The deadline to apply is December 17, 2010, and applications/nominations are being accepted online at www.restaurant.org/diversity.

Employers and business owners are eligible for a number of new tax breaks -- but must act soon, since some benefits expire this year.

The federal website Business.gov offers an overview of a few recent changes that open up benefits for businesses. Among these:

* A tax credit for certain new hires. The HIRE Act, passed by Congress in March, exempts employers from paying the employer share of Social Security taxes on wages of qualified employees. The "payroll tax holiday" applies to employees who are hired between Feb. 3, 2010, and Jan. 1, 2011, and who worked no more than 40 hours in the 60 days before you hired them. The IRS requires employees to sign Form W-11 to verify that they are eligible. If you keep that employee on your payroll for 52 consecutive weeks, you are also entitled to claim a business credit of up to $1,000 on your 2011 tax return.

-- Business expensing: Congress recently expanded Section 179 of the tax code to increase the amount of expense deductions businesses can recognize for certain depreciable property put into service during tax years 2010 and 2011. The National Restaurant Association offers an overview for its members of the new Section 179 benefits under the Small Business Jobs Act, enacted last month.

-- Restaurant leasehold improvements: Also as part of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, restaurants that make certain leasehold improvements in 2010 and 2011 can now write off up to $250,000 of the costs as an expense deduction in the first year.

Get more details in Business.gov's article, "The Clock is Ticking on New Tax Breaks."

The National Restaurant Association is conducting a webinar Oct. 20 for members on the Department of Labor's "Plan, Prevent and Protect" strategy for enforcing federal labor laws and regulations.

The DOL announced the initiative last spring, as part of an effort to crack down on wage-and-hour, safety and health and immigration violations. 

The webinar will look at DOL's enforcement tactics, as well as how employers can limit their vulnerability and protect themselves. The session is set for Wed., Oct. 20, 2 p.m. ET. National Restaurant Association members register here.

Restaurant and hospitality industry professionals who plan their visit to the 2011 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show now not only receive "early bird" registration pricing for the event, but also the best opportunity to secure their preferred housing and travel arrangements.

NRA Show 2011 Official Housing is now open and offers discounted hotel rates and airfare to those who use the service when visiting Chicago for the 2011 NRA Show (May 21-24) and the International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event (May 22-23).

onPeak is the NRA Show Official Housing partner and exclusive provider of special National Restaurant Association rates and services. Travel arrangements may be made online at www.restaurant.org/show or www.winespiritsbeer.org.

Restaurants and other small merchants and their customers won a victory last week when the Justice Department's antitrust division found Visa and MasterCard guilty of violating the Sherman Act with anti-competitive and deceptive credit card pricing policies.

This marks the first time the Department of Justice has intervened to force price competition in this area. Merchants will now be able to offer consumers discounts between cards, forcing the cards to compete on cost.

The department found that the two credit card companies imposed anti-competitive restrictions that hurt consumers and merchants. Restrictive card policies have led to a market without enough information or choice, the agency said. The top 10 card issuers now control 90 percent of the market, a level the Justice Department deems "highly concentrated." Contact the NRA's Dave Koenig if you have questions about the ruling's impact on your business.

We have invited the National Restaurant Association's Chief Economist Bruce Grindy to regularly analyze important research and statistics and put the data into a restaurant industry context. You will see Grindy's "Economist's Notebook" feature appearing bi-monthly on this blog. In his inaugural commentary, he tackles the latest jobs numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

"Last Friday's employment report did little to indicate that the economy has moved out of the slow lane.  At the same time, it did provide evidence that fears of a double-dip recession are overblown. 

"Overall, the U.S. economy lost a net 95,000 jobs in September, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  This marked the fourth consecutive month of losses, with nearly 400,000 jobs eliminated.  However, the bulk of these recent losses resulted from the phase-out of temporary Census positions, while the private sector continued to grow.

If you're not using social media to enhance customer relations, you're missing the boat, says Amy Bridges, corporate marketing manager, Clyde's Restaurant Group.

Bridges offered social media advice to restaurateurs Thursday at the Mid-Atlantic Food, Beverage & Lodging Expo in Baltimore. She was among six panelists in a discussion on "Learning the Rules of Social Media: Making it Up As We Go Along." Clyde's a 13-restaurant group based in Washington, D.C., has about 1,700 followers on Twitter and Facebook.

When Bridges began dabbling in social media for the company, she says her early "tweets" didn't do anything to promote the Clyde's brand or engage guests. Since then, she's learned to create buzz around the grand and respond to every tweet or comment about positive and negative customer experiences. Guests are so appreciative of her replies that "you win them over 100 fold," she says.

There are challenges and opportunities with running any restaurant business, but operating a food truck comes with its own set of unique issues.

"It's one of the best branding experiences I've ever had. It's driven people to our restaurant," says Bill Irvin, who operates restaurants in the Baltimore area and recently added a mobile truck - Kooper's Chowhound Burger Wagon - to his business roster.

Irvin was one of five panelists at the Mid-Atlantic Food, Beverage & Lodging EXPO who participated in Oct. 13 session on food trucks at the Baltimore Convention Center.

Working with guests to avoid food allergy reactions begins at the reservation process.

"Let us know you have any allergy," when using OpenTable to make a reservation, says Vicki Griffith, quality assurance director, Clyde's Restaurant Group. The 13-location chain trains its hosts and hostesses to check the reservations so employees know about allergic guests as soon as they are seated, Griffith says.

Griffith was among the panelists who addressed food allergy issues Wednesday at the Mid-Atlantic Food Expo in Baltimore. The panelists discussed the importance of engaging guests with food allergies, as well as training front and back of house employees.

A small but growing number of restaurant chefs are spotlighting their commitment to sustainability by participating in greener versions of a publicity staple, the culinary competition.

While the goal is still to develop the best dish or meal, the contests limit chefs to local ingredients.

Organizers say the special events alert consumers that restaurants in their areas use local food, including eateries that have done so for a considerable time.

Registration is now open for the 2011 National Restaurant Association Public Affairs Conference, March 22 to 23, 2011, in Washington, D.C.

Reserve your spot now at the restaurant industry's largest and most important grassroots event. Join your politically savvy colleagues to introduce and promote the restaurant industry on Capitol Hill -- which will become even more important as a new crop of congressmen and women take office in January.

Don't miss this opportunity to get an insider's view of the workings of Capitol Hill. Hear dynamic speakers and meet key lawmakers who shape policy that affects your business. Voice your opinion to top administration officials, influential senators and representatives, and key Capitol Hill staffers. Register today.

Questions? Contact Ellen Mize at emize@restaurant.org or (202) 331-5907.

As the federal government begins rolling out regulations to implement the new health care law, the National Restaurant Association is working aggressively to send the message that employers must be involved in the process. In comments delivered to the Department of Health and Human Services this week, the NRA asked for an open process, with a strong role for employers, as states set up the "exchanges" that will be marketplaces for many individuals and small businesses to buy insurance starting in 2014.

A new California law will allow prospective restaurant employees to show their ServSafe Starters cards to prove they've undergone food safety training.

The state's Food Handler Card law, enacted Sept. 25, requires prospective restaurant employees to show proof of food-safety training beginning July 1, 2011. The law is designed to ensure all restaurant employees receive a reasonable level of food safety training to reduce the potential for foodborne illness.

Under the law, employees must secure training and obtain the food-handler card. Employers aren't required to provide the training.

The Associated Press recently reported on a new service that has a novel approach to virtual gifts.

Facebook users have long had the options to send virtual gifts, but it leaves many wondering what to do with those images of cocktails, teddy bears and chocolate cakes (other than simply appreciate the fact that a friend thought of them). The new upstart company Bartab has solved that problem by allowing users to buy drink certificates for their Facebook friends (or themselves) to be redeemed at participating bars and restaurants.

The novel approach is in that the idea-to-action sequence involves social networking, cell phones and face-to-face interaction as forms of engagement. You send and receive the certificates on Facebook, then use a cell phone application or text message to redeem it from the bartender or server.

Three of the 10 states that adjust their minimum wages each year to reflect changes in the cost of living have announced new wage levels starting Jan. 1, 2011. Montana will increase its minimum wage to $7.35, Ohio to $7.40 and Oregon to $8.50. Announcements from the remaining seven states with inflation-adjusted wage rates are expected later this year. The National Restaurant Association tracks all state wage rates here.

You have a bit more time to ensure your employees are familiar with security features of the new $100 bill.

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing, which prints U.S. currency, identified a problem with sporadic creasing of the paper during printing. Therefore, the Federal Reserve won't have enough bills to begin distributing them in February 2011 as planned.

The Treasury Department released the new designs in April, as well as training materials for retail and other businesses that accept cash.

The National Restaurant Association continues to work to overturn a federal rule on grandfathered health plans. The regulation, issued in response to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, forces small employers to pay more to maintain grandfathered coverage, shop for a new (and more expensive) plan, or drop employer-sponsored coverage.

As part of the the Small Business Coalition for Affordable Health Care, the NRA seeks to secure regulations that would increase options and lower costs for restaurants. In remarks on the Senate floor Sept. 30, Sen. Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.) noted the NRA's support for his resolution to overturn the rule. Enzi is the ranking member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. The health care coalition sent Enzi a letter outlining its small business concerns about the rule. Read the letter.

Food-beer pairings are a hot trend, according to the National Restaurant Association's What's Hot in 2010 survey of more than 1,800 professional chefs (members of the American Culinary Federation). When selecting a brew to serve with a dish, also consider which type of glass to pour it in.

Floored! (the official blog of NRA Show and IWSB Event) recently shared information from the Brewers Association, including the association's online guide to beer glassware, which can help enhance aroma, flavor and head to complement each dish.

Attending the 2011 International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event (May 22 through 23 at Chicago's McCormick Place), augment your beer knowledge even further by meeting brewers and importers, attending education sessions on enhancing bar programs, and much more. While you're there, scout the exhibit floor of the 2011 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show (May 21 through 24) to find the glassware to match.

Discounted "early bird" registration for IWSB and NRA Show is available until Dec. 1. Members of the National Restaurant Association receive free admission to the NRA Show and a discounted rate for IWSB when registering anytime.

Image by the Brewers Association.