DALLAS —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
But given the diversity of businesses within the restaurant industry, tackling such issues as minimum-wage increases, health care reform, card check, immigration reform and menu labeling with a single point of view is increasingly hard to do, said speakers during “The New Legislative Landscape: Are You Ready for the Potential Regulatory Landmines Ahead?” —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
“The industry is too big—its strength is its weakness,” said Rick Berman, president of Berman & Co., a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying and communications firm. —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
Berman noted, however, that all operators first should educate their employees about business margins so they have a realistic image of the industry. —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
“We don’t do the easy stuff, so we can’t do the hard stuff,” he said, referring to educating lawmakers on the realities of the industry. At the same time, the legislative environment is getting worse, he said. —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
“The challenges are more challenging, the obstacles are greater and the solutions harder to achieve,” he said. —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
On some issues, the industry even appears to have lost its fight, Berman said. —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
“The minimum wage has gone up 41 percent in three years,” he said, adding, “The restaurant industry is not as exercised about minimum wage as it used to be.” —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
Matt Halme, vice president of government affairs for OSI Restaurant Partners LLC, parent of Outback Steakhouse, agreed, noting the wheels have been set in motion to keep minimum wage moving up. —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
On July 24, the federal minimum wage rose to $7.25 per hour. Halme added that President Obama would like to see it reach $9.50 per hour. —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
“The conversation tying increases to job losses has subsided,” he said, noting that the industry needs to create a relevant story about the negative effects of minimum-wage hikes if it hopes to avert them. —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
Health care reform is another hot issue in need of the industry’s attention as Congress considers several bills and has promised action, the panelists said. —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
“We are trying to figure out where we can have an impact,” said Bob McAdam, senior vice president of government and community affairs for Darden Restaurants, in reference to lobbying lawmakers. —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
“I do think something will pass this year,” said Scott Vinson, vice president of the National Council of Chain Restaurants. “It may not go as far as the liberals want it to go, [but] there will be employer fees.” —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
The challenge, McAdam said, is making lawmakers understand that any bill promising employees coverage on their first day of work is not realistic. —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
Halme said restaurateurs must point out that the profit per restaurant employee is significantly lower than that of employees in other industries. —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
One issue the panelists feel the industry successfully has addressed is the Employee Free Choice Act, otherwise known as card check. The measure, which would make it easier for unions to organize workplaces, currently has less support in Congress than it did last year, Vinson said. He pointed to a compromise effort underway in the Senate that would remove the provision eliminating private-ballot elections and allowing employees simply to sign cards in favor of unionization. —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
Nonetheless, unions now are traveling from city to city trying to recruit members, Berman said. —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
“You need to talk with employees during training about not joining unions,” he said. —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
Speaking on immigration reform, Antonio Swad, founder of Dallas-based Pizza Patrón, a 92-unit chain that targets the Latin market, said he is pushing for conditional amnesty as it is almost impossible to come to the United States legally. —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
He noted that 85 percent of the country’s undocumented workers are from Mexico, and that, as an industry, “we need employees and we need customers.” —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
Menu labeling recently has become a divisive issue within the industry. After the National Restaurant Association threw its support behind the Labeling Education and Nutrition Act, which would require the posting of calories for chains with 20 or more units, a splinter group of 21 brands broke away from the restaurant pack and called for a more inclusive bill. —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
Calling the NRA’s stance on menu labeling a defensive action needed to end the patchwork of requirements cropping up at the state and local level, McAdam said, “We need to get ahead of future issues.”— [email protected] —Faced with many legislative issues that could harm restaurant businesses, operators more than ever must make sure their voices are heard and their stories are cohesive, agreed a panel of government relations experts during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.
