Operations

Operating a restaurant involves a lot of moving parts – most controlled by you, but many controlled by laws, regulations, licenses and permits. Alcoholic beverages, food safety, labor practices and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (the healthcare mandate) are significant – and then there is everything else.

Get to know the regulatory agencies that govern such things as sidewalk cafes, signage, noise, fire safety and more. And, get to know about the efforts being made by RAMW on your behalf to improve the regulatory environment.

MD Restaurants Partner to Help Feed Local Families

April 2, 2020

Washington, DC – Clyde’s Restaurant Group and Founding Farmers announce today the launch of Food it Forward MD , an initiative to support the hard-hit restaurant industry and provide quality food to vulnerable populations, first responders, and frontline health care workers in Montgomery & Howard counties. Through Food It Forward MD, the public can purchase delivery meals packaged by local restaurants. Meals will be distributed to Maryland frontline health care workers, first responders, and to those in need by community partners like Bethesda Cares, Community Food Rescue,...Read more

Get Your Documents in Order, COVID-19 Relief Requires Accurate Records

April 3, 2020

Original content c/o: National Restaurant Association Your access to coronavirus relief will require documentation, the key to any successful business continuity/financial recovery plan. Keeping records is probably the last thing you’re thinking about while you try to figure out ways to keep your doors — or at least your drive-thru window — open during the coronavirus crisis. But documents and records may be the things that help you most in securing loans and grant money to tide you over until the crisis passes. Now is the time to gather documents and start tracking your...

Association offers discount drug card, telemedicine programs to members

April 2, 2020

Original content c/o: National Restaurant Association As Covid-19 rages on, telemedicine is a viable treatment option, while access to discounted prescriptions is always a great benefit. The National Restaurant Association is offering two programs to help members and their employees stay healthy and safe. Through its new partner, Healthiest You, the Association is making a telemedicine option available to its members. The service is $7/month per employee. There are no co-pays, and all family members can use the service. Those interested in participating in the telemedicine option can contact...

Taking care of YOU plus National & Regional Updates

April 6, 2020

We have a few updates, reminders and invitations to share with all of you as we head into a new week. First and foremost, we want to remind you of a few resources to lean on as we know this has been a time of significant stress for you and your employees. Feelings of distress and anxiety can take an emotional toll as you are forced to make incredibly difficult decisions each and every day. The CDC stresses the importance of taking care of YOURSELF during this time and following the suggested guidelines below of things you can do to support yourself. Taking care of yourself, your friends, and...

How to Apply for CARES Act Loans

April 2, 2020

Original content c/o: National Restaurant Association Here’s what you need to do to take advantage of loans available through the coronavirus relief bill. The coronavirus relief package known as the CARES Act signed into law March 27 by President Trump will make low-cost loans available to you to help get you through the economic hardship caused by the pandemic. Check with your accountant or tax advisor to see which of the loan programs provides greater benefits and lower risks to your business. The two loan programs are Small Business Administration’s existing Economic Injury...

Do It Right: Tips for Temporarily Closing Your Restaurant

April 1, 2020

Original content c/o: National Restaurant Association If you need to close down operations until the coronavirus runs its course, do it safely so you’re ready to open for business when that happy day arrives. As of April 1, some 270 million people — three fourths of the entire U.S. population — are living their lives under some form of COVID-19 stay-at-home order. That means, among other things, that dining in restaurants has been put on hold. With millions of people living under some kind of COVID-19 stay-at-home order now, many restaurants are facing the possibility of...

Industry Updates 4/2

April 2, 2020

In this morning’s message, we mentioned creating an anchoring message as we enter into the Congressional Phase IV of relief. If you have not done so already, please email coronavirus@ramw.org to provide feedback as to what you think should be included in the Phase IV relief outside of what we already know. For more information on what we are already working on, click here . We have received a few requests from our restaurant community for access to masks and gloves. At this time local health authorities are not requiring full time use of masks and gloves, however we do understand that...

Coordinated Message & Mobilization

April 2, 2020

Today we need your input as we continue our local and national advocacy efforts for relief for our industry. We know the relief outlined in the CARES Act does not go far enough to support restaurants, and that implementation is flawed when applied to our unique industry. It is important to note that while drafting Phase III (CARES Act), Congress always knew there would be a Phase IV of relief, so some relief measures and issues were punted to Phase IV. They also neglected to consider how long a business may be disrupted to reflect timelines and look backs that are relevant as it aims to...

Regional Updates 4/1

April 1, 2020

As we come to the end of the day, we want to share updates from around the region in the form of relief and clarity. But first, we want to acknowledge that we are fully aware that there are some serious flaws in the relief programs outlined by the CARES Act. We are working daily with state partners around the country and our national partners to collect those concerns and create a coordinated ask as we go into phase IV of relief. Our intention is to ensure issues are addressed, corrected and reflected as this package is being refined. In the meantime, we want to offer guidance based on...

ServSafe Offers Free Courses & Videos On Safe Practices for Takeout & Delivery

March 26, 2020

Original content c/o: National Restaurant Association The goal is to help operators and their employees practice safe food handling and delivery during the coronavirus pandemic. For 30 years, ServSafe has been at the forefront of preparing restaurant and foodservice employees to deliver safe dining experiences for their guests while also keeping themselves safe. This mission is as important as ever during the service disruptions caused by the coronavirus. ServSafe is offering free resources to restaurateurs focusing on takeout and delivery during the coronavirus crisis. The goal is to...