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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.

Boost Profits With Energy Efficiency

February 26, 2014
Restaurants consume five to seven times more energy than other businesses. From long operating hours to energy-intensive food preparation, it’s easy to see why restaurants use such a high amount of energy. Unfortunately, this means that restaurants also waste more energy than a typical business. In fact, according to Pacific Gas and Electric, the food service industry wastes around $8 billion in energy every year. In the District, the DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU) offers rebates on everything from energy-efficient stoves and fryers to refrigeration and HVAC upgrades that can...

Mandatory in Maryland: Food Allergy Awareness

February 14, 2014
By Betsy Craig (CEO and founder of MenuTrinfo® ) A senate bill was passed on January 23rd, 2014 in Maryland that mandates all commercial kitchens to have allergy awareness training . Beginning March 1st, 2015 , it will be mandatory for food establishments in Maryland to have one employee on the premises at all times who have completed a food allergen awareness training course and passes an accredited test approved by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Of those individuals who have gone through training, one employee must be available to discuss meal options with customers who...

Ballston Restaurant Challenge

Ballston Restaurant Challenge
February 3, 2014
The Ballston Business Improvement District (BID) has launched the next level of its campaign to showcase Ballston as the ideal place to start up and grow a business. With Top Chef Mike Isabella, a DC chef and restaurateur, at the helm of this new campaign, the Ballston BID is thrilled to begin the search for Ballston’s next big restaurateur. What you when you win: a lease with first year free, below market rates after and a $245,000 interest free loan. Brookfield Office Properties, which owns building space Ballston, has offered to donate a year of free restaurant space and a fully...

District Grant Money Fuels Job Training at DC Central Kitchen

January 29, 2014
By Mike Conneen , WJLA7 The DC government is partnering with the local hospitality and restaurant industries to help unemployed Washingtonians get specialized job training and find work. At DC Central Kitchen , the new grant money will help expand a culinary arts program. Read More.Read more

CohnReznick and Results Thru Strategy Team Up to Support the Hospitality Industry

January 28, 2014
CohnReznick LLP , the 11th largest accounting, tax, and advisory firm in the United States, is teaming up with Results Thru Strategy , a consortium of hospitality industry experts, to help restaurants and hotels create sustainable strategies that yield long-term results in cost savings and revenue generation. CohnReznick’s accounting, tax, and financial advisory services will be paired with Results Thru Strategy’s organizational design, concept development, brand strategy, culinary, franchising, and marketing expertise to provide hotel and restaurant executives with a one-stop-...

NLRB Abandons Union Poster Rule

January 8, 2014
By Julian Hattem, The Hill The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is backing down from a fight over a contentious regulation that would have required most businesses to display posters about union rights. Two federal appeals courts struck down the rules in separate cases last year, ruling that they amounted to an overreach from the labor rights agency. The NLRB’s last recourse to save the rules was to appeal to the Supreme Court. On Monday, it declined to take that step, effectively killing the regulations for good. Read More .Read more

New Loading Zones in H Street NE Corridor

December 20, 2013
To accommodate the new street cars, DDOT has created new loading zones in the H Street NE Corridor, effective on December 16th. The new loading zones are located on side streets along the corridor between 4th and 14th Streets NE. Commercial loading and unloading will be allowed between 7:00 am and 6:30 pm Monday through Saturday. New signage has been posted to identify the new loading zone locations and all carriers are encouraged to begin using the new loading spaces immediately. DDOT along with DPW will be monitoring these spaces daily to ensure the loading zones are as open as possible...Read more

How Do Gas and Electricity Costs Impact Your Bottomline?

December 18, 2013
Are your GAS and ELECTRICITY costs hurting your bottom line? Let's see if we can help you reduce your costs, increase profits and potentially earn FREE ENERGY . As Independent Consultants with Ambit Energy, we offer you the opportunity to reduce your cost with competitive rates and potentially FREE ENERGY . There is NO COST to taking advantage of the savings we offer. Our goal is to help you save money and earn FREE ENERGY ! For a free evaluation of how much you can save, e-mail Clayton or Alva Bourges at usave12@gmail.com . You may also call us at 703-863-4086 or 703-798-3912 .

DC City Council Passes Minimum Wage Bill

December 17, 2013
Today the Council of the District of Columbia passed bills increasing the minimum wage and broadening the coverage of the District’s mandatory paid sick leave law to include tipped workers. How does this affect you? The minimum wage will increase to $9.50 on July 1, 2014, $10.50 on July 1, 2015 and 11.50, July 1, 2016. On the paid sick leave revision, tipped workers who take mandatory paid leave must be paid for the missed shift at the overall minimum wage rate. Another change in the law allows all workers to access mandatory paid leave within 90 days of hiring, rather than the one year...Read more

The Bar Bystander Campaign

November 20, 2013
What would you do if someone who had been drinking excessively picked up their car keys and headed for the door? If you are a good bystander, you would intervene to help the person get home safely without risking injury to self or others. Cities and states, colleges and branches of the military are using that same bystander approach to prevent sexual assault: teaching professionals and friends how to offer assistance and intervene to prevent alcohol-facilitated sexual assault. In Arlington County, police are seeing an increase in reports of alcohol-facilitated sexual assaults of young...

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