the PRESIDENTMessage from

TipsJanuary 2014

Volume 25, Number 1TheMeMphis RestauRant association

Newsletter

MISSION STATEMENT: The Memphis Restaurant Association (MRA) is the premiere support organization dedicated to the success of our industry and community now and into the future. We provide useful, accessible tools, educational services and governmental representation to promote the stability and growth of our members. The MRA is dedicated to building community relationships and involvement in order to increase membership and create a spirit of fellowship among its members.

Dear Fellow Members:

Happy New Year! We’re really excited about 2014 over here at the MRA. There is some seriously exciting momentum in the Memphis food and beverage scene. Restaurants and markets from across the board are slated to open this year from casual burger & taco joints to artisan butchers to craft breweries to a home for food trucks made out of recycled shipping containers. So please help us celebrate and join us at the 50th Annual MRA Banquet at the Peabody, Sunday February 23, 2014. Yes. 50 Years. The Memphis restaurant community has been gathering annually for fifty years to grab a cocktail & relax amongst friends and most importantly celebrate each other’s accomplishments. Just another reason why the Memphis restaurant scene is so rich.

Contact Kimberly at kimberly@memphisrestaurants.com to book your table now.

Here’s to a successful 2014! See you at The Peabody!

Slàinte,

Patrick Reilly Majestic Grille522-8555, FAX: 328-5655patrick@majesticgrille.com

PS - If you haven’t spoken to your accountant about the 2012 Automatic Gratuity Law that went into effect on January 1 of this year, get on it now! There is a lot of misinformation out there and you need to protect your employees and your business.

2014 Our 50th Banquet

Mandatory Gratuity?

NEW RULES!

Click here to read New IRS Rules On Mandatory Gratuities Affect More Than Just TaxesBy Lisa Lichterman Leach and R. Alex BoalsLittler Mendelson, P.C.

Telephone scammers pose as MLGW representatives, steal funds Thieves continue to target local businesses, calling to instruct customers that MLGW will disconnect their utili-ties unless a payment is made using Green Dot money cards. The scam surfaced in late October and persists, resulting in a Better Business Bureau notice as well as MLGW alerts. The scammer spoofs a phone number, making it ap-pear on Caller ID that the call has been initiated by MLGW’s Commercial Resource Center, with the phone number 901-528-4270.• MLGW customer service representatives do not per-sonally call a customer to request a payment.• MLGW does not accept payments by Green Dot mon-ey cards or any form of payments by phone except at MLGW’s pay by phone number at 1-866-315-0277.• MLGW’s Commercial Resource Center is open weekdays- 7:30a.m.-5p.m. and is closed on the weekends.• A customer will never receive a call from 901-528-4270. This line only accepts incoming phone calls. Customers who believe they have been targeted or victimized with this or any other scam should immedi-ately contact theMemphis Police Department at 901-545-2677.Click here to read the BBB’s alert for more variations of this scam.

Wintry Weather Outage & Emergencies With more winter weather headed our way, MLGW maintains its efforts to ensure that utility service won’t be affected. MLGW monitors the National Weather Service to prepare for all weather situations. Customers are reminded to call the following numbers:To Report an Outage: 544-6500To Report an Emergency (such as downed lines or gas leaks): 528-4465All Other Inquiries: 544-MLGW (6549)

MLGW Social Media:MLGW.com

twitter.com/MLGWfacebook.com/MLGW1

mlgw.blogspot.comFree MLGW Apps: Google Play (play.google.com) and Apple Store (www.apple.com)

Bright Ideas from MLGW

EVENT DATE:LOCATION:

HOURS:COST:

Friday, February 21, 2014Holiday Inn at The University of MemphisDoors Open 6:00pm Questions Begin 7:00pm100 Tables Available @ $150 Per TableIncludes six seats, soft drinks, bottled water and finger snacks. Concession items available

Join Us For An Evening Of Fun & Trivia!

See attached reservation form or download from www.mmhla-skal.comFor more information: www.mmhla-skal.com

present

Metropolitan Memphis Hotel & Lodging Associationand SKAL International Memphis

Fun Stuff!Table/Costume Contest • Games • Prizes & Drawings all Night!

Reservation Form and Full Payment due: February 14, 2014!!!

Things You Need to Know...No more than six people allowed per table/team. All players must be 21 or older.

No outside liquor or food will be allowed into the hotel.

benefiting

present

Trivia

Cash BarAvailable!

CLICK HERE TO Buy TICKETS.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER AS A PARTICIPAnT.(Categories are: Soup, Bread, Dessert, Specialty Item & Gumbo)

Deadline for registration is February 6th

CLICK HERE to nominate a fellow restaurateur for the 5th Annual Warr/ Sumrall Spirit of Service Award.

Are your employees trained on the new safety data sheet format and label elements under

the revised HazCom Standard (HCS)??

The first GHS compliance deadline has passed; expect OSHA to check for training. By December first of this year, em-ployers should have trained employees on the new safety data sheet format and label elements under the revised HazCom Standard (HCS). Training on label elements should include information on: product identifier signal word pictogram hazard statement(s) precautionary statement(s) name, address and phone number of the chemical manufacturer, distributor or importer. Training on SDS must include information on: • the standardized 16-section format and the type of information found in each section. • how information on the label is related to the SDS. For everything you need to know to prepare employees for the GHS imple-mentation, including compliance dead-lines, view UL’s white paper on The Globally Harmonized System of Classi-fication and Labeling of Chemicals.

Read the complete article by Langdon Dement here- http://www.knowledgeat-work.com/author/langdondement/

$50 per person$500 table of 10Please RSVP to: Kimberly@memphisrestaurants.com. You will be invoiced accordingly for your tickets or table. Your table information will be available at the banquet registration table uponyour arrival on February 23rd. Thank you!

DECODING OBAMACAREBriefs from our Panel Discussion “What the Affordable Care Act (ACA) means to your bottom line”.

Filling the gaps left by the Affordable

Care ActDental, eye care, prevention and behavioral health not adequately

addressed by law

How is the Affordable Care Act going to affect the Church Health Center and the MEMPHIS Plan? That’s a question on a lot of minds, isn’t it? In short, it won’t affect the Center– not at our core – because our mission and commitment to healing ministry will not change. But that simple answer, while true, isn’t enough. We know more now about the effects of the law than we did just months ago, even though the healthcare landscape continues to change. What we know: The Affordable Care Act is not universal healthcare. It’s estimated that 30 million people in our country will remain uninsured after the law is fully implemented in 2019. That’s one-tenth of our nation’s population. It’s also three million more than when the Church Health Center opened in 1987. There was plenty of need back then, and there will still be plenty of uninsured working people with nowhere to turn in 2019. Yes, the healthcare law will shrink some gaps, but other gaps will remain. As people of faith responding to God’s call to heal, we at the Church Health Center are committed to moving to where the needs are and filling the gaps.

If you’re between 100 and 400 percent of the poverty line based on 2014 income, you’ll be able to shop for insurance in the newly created health insurance marketplace and get a subsidy to help pay for it. If you fall below 100 percent of the poverty line, you’ll be able to shop on the marketplace, but you, too, will not get a subsidy. That’s right… the most vulnerable people in our community will receive no financial help to buy insurance. Who falls below 100 percent of the poverty line? Many of them are already our patients (about 60 percent of our patients, in fact). Therefore, many of our current patients will stay right where they are, uninsured and being cared for by us either on the MEMPHIS Plan or in our clinic. “These are the people working hard to care for their families,” said Church Health Center CEO Dr. Scott Morris. “Surely, we have a responsibility to care for these people who are the lifeblood of our community and local economy.” These are your employees and others who work hard every day in our city. Still, some of our patients will be able to buy health insurance in the insurance marketplace, and we will do all we can to help them transition. Why?

Because we want to be good stewards of the donated dollars we receive from faithful donors and serve people who have no access to affordable care. We also want to continue to be a trusted resource for our community. Clearly, serving the uninsured will continue to be a big part of our work, but there is still much more the Center does that has no bearing on being uninsured or not. Countless people are learning to live a healthier life at Church Health Center Wellness, our wellness facility open to the entire community. “The Church Health Center is not going out of business,” Dr. Morris said. “If anything, we’re expanding to meet the growing needs of our community and to address things not adequately covered by the Affordable Care Act, such as dentistry, eye care, behavioral health and prevention. Our move to Sears Crosstown will help make this possible and help us to be more efficient and effective at caring for those we serve.” There is still uncertainty, but we are actively working to learn all we can so you can keep serving the wonderful food that Memphis is so well known for. We will continue to do this and keep you all informed. The people who rely on us are counting on support from people like you.

Jennie Robbins is Chief Administrative Officer at the Church Health Center, whose ministries provide healthcare for the working uninsured and promote healthy bodies and spirits for all. For more information about the Church Health Center, call 901-272-7170 or visit churchealthcenter.org.

Chuck HudspethHudspeth Benefits Group

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) makes sweeping changes to the health insurance market that affect nearly ev-eryone. The changes affect large and small businesses differently.Who is a Small Employer? The question of who is a small em-ployer depends on the part of the law that is applicable. For determining who is subject to the employer man-date to provide health insurance, there is a definition based on the number of full time equivalent employees. For determining whether an employer can get coverage on the Small Employer Market or the Large Employer market the definition is based on the average number of employees. Click Here for more Health Reform Info for Small Employers Effective Jan. 1, 2015, the Afford-able Care Act (ACA) imposes a penal-ty on large employers that do not offer minimum essential coverage to sub-stantially all full-time employees and their dependents. Large employers that offer coverage may still be liable for a penalty if the coverage is unaffordable or does not provide minimum value. ACA’s employer penalty is referred to as an employer shared responsibility payment. It requires large employers to either “play” by offering health cov-erage to full-time employees and their dependents or “pay” a substantial ex-cise tax. A large employer is only liable for a shared responsibility payment if one or more of its full-time employees receives a premium tax credit or cost-sharing reduction for coverage under a state-based insurance exchange.

Health Reform Information for Large and Small Employers

Bottom Line information that you need to prepare for Health Care Reform

Who is a Large Employer? To qualify as a large employer, an employer must employ on average at least 50 full-time employees, including full-time equivalents (FTEs) on busi-ness days during the preceding calen-dar year. Full-time means 30 or more hours of service each week. Hours worked by employees with fewer than 30 hours per week must be counted—and then divided by 120 per month—to determine the number of FTEs. The number of FTEs is then added to the actual full-time employee count.Read More Health Reform Info for Large Employers- Click Here

Federal Marketplace Application Planning Worksheet- Click Here for a worksheet to help you search and apply for coverage on the fed-eral Marketplace at healthcare.gov.

Call Chuck with any questions you may have at (901) 763-2021 or contact him at Obamacareanswerman.com.

Affordable Care Act Checklist

Employers with more than 50 or more full time equivalent employees are re-quired to provide insurance or face penal-ties stating in 2015. Your payroll system must capture hours of all employees to de-termine full time equivalent employees. The question then is do you offer em-ployee coverage or not. Small employ-ers (less than 50 full time equivalents) do not have to offer coverage. Large employers will have to determine what type of plan, Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum or no plan and be penalized. The next question is where to pur-chase insurance starting in 2015? Small employers can use the new Small Busi-ness Health Options Program or SHOP, exchanges run by states or the federal government. All employers have private health-insurance exchanges as another option in Tennessee. There can be a myr-iad of options of benefits (some benefits are mandatory) and deductibles. There are limitations on employees out of pocket cost based upon 9 1/2% of their W2 wages. Explore a Self-Funded Plan for healthy companies (state small-group definition) which are not subject to the Affordable Care Act community-rating requirements. The Skinny Plan Strategy. This is for large businesses with many low wage employees. These plans are low benefit and cheap versions that won’t qualify for the Affordable Care Act’s minimum es-sential coverage test. You are betting that a great number of employees won’t sign up for the exchanges coverage. Therefore, the penalties will not be as much as the minimum essential coverage premiums.

William H. Watkins, Jr.SeniorMember

Watkins Uiberall, PLLCwwatkins@wucpas.com.

TASTE OF JUBILEEFACT Sheet

What is the Taste: The BlueStreak Scholarship Fund holds an annual fundraiser to support the inner-city Catholic Schools – the Jubilee Schools. Through the Taste of Jubilee we are able to help provide education and have an immediate and lasting impact upon the lives of children in Memphis.

When: Friday, April 25, 2014Where: Pink Palace MuseumTime: Setup from 4:00 to 6:00 pmEvent: 7:00 pm to 10:30 pm

Restaurants: Prepare a Taste of a “Signature Dish” which both spotlights your restaurant and adds to the “Taste” experience at the event. The average attendance is out 700 people. We ask each restaurant to provide 400 “tastes.”

BlueStreak: We will furnish plates, napkins and chafing dishes, sterno and whatever cutlery is needed for what you are serving. While we love have restaurant personnel attend and serve the food; we can provide volunteers. Please let us know in advance.

Publicity: Restaurant logos of all the restaurants will be posted on the website and included in our printed material. Please forward your logo in a JPG format to be used in all our advertising.

Thank you for your generosity. This is our only major fundraiser for the year and 100% of our proceeds go to help the children attending the Memphis Catholic Jubilee Schools.

For more information or questions – please contact:

Peggy Callahan Restaurant Coordinator 901-755-1793 / Cell 901-371-6804 FAX – 901-752-0743 pecallahan@earthlink.net

2014 DAY ON THE HILL

Wednesday, February 26, 2014 Legislative Plaza and the DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown Nashville

7:00—8:30 am—Pancakes and Politics

Legislative Plaza Cafeteria

8:45—9:45 am—Education Session: Lobbying 101 and Q&A DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown Nashville

9:45—11:00 am— Keynote Speakers

DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown Nashville

11:00 am—12:00 pm— Legislative Meetings Attendees will take separate lunch breaks as their group’s schedule permits

1:00—4:00 pm—Legislative Meetings & Committee Visits

Legislative Plaza

5:00—7:00 pm—Legislative Reception DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown Nashville

Cost: $65 Per Attendee

To register online CLICK HERE, or visit www.tnhta.net/events Registration Deadline is Friday, February 14th

For room reservations at the DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown Nashville CLICK HERE.

For a discounted room rate, you must make your reservations by February 4th

Questions? Contact Lindsey Herren at 615-385-9970 or lindsey@tnhospitality.net

H o s p i t a l i t y & To u r i s m : E m p l o y i n g 2 8 0 , 0 0 0 Te n n e s s e a n s

The Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association cordially invites you to attend our:

Noteworthyb

2014 marks the 25th Year of our

publication!

TipsNEWSLETTER

To register online CLICK HERE, or visit www.tnhta.net/eventsRegistration Deadline is Friday, February 14th

For room reservations at the DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown Nashville CLICK HERE.For a discounted room rate, you must make your reservations by February 4th

MRA 2014 CALENDAR

DATE EVENT LOCATION TIME JAnuARy nO MRA EVEnTS

FEBRuARy 12 Board Meeting TBD 3- 4:30pm 6 MRA Associate Coffee Club* Panera -Laurelwood 8 – 9 am 23 50th Annual Banquet The Peabody 6-11pm 26 TnHA Day on the Hill Capitol Hill- nashville,Tn 7am-7pm

MARCH 5 General Business Meeting & Mixer TBD 3:30- 6:30pm 18-19 AHLA Day on the Hill Washington, D.C. All Day 26 Board Meeting TBD 3- 4:30pm

APRIL 23 Board Meeting TBD 3- 4:30pm 29-30 nRA Public Affairs Conference Washington D.C. All Day

MAy 1 MRA Associate Coffee Club* Panera -Laurelwood 8 – 9 am 28 General Business Meeting & Mixer TBD 3:30- 6:00pm

JunE 9 Summer Social w/ MMHLA - Redbirds AutoZone Park 6pm

JuLy nO MRA EVEnTS

AuGuST 7 MRA Associate Coffee Club* Panera -Laurelwood 8 – 9 am 13 Board Meeting TBD 3- 4:30pm

SEPTEMBER 10 General Business Meeting & Mixer TBD 3:30- 6:30pm 24 Board Meeting TBD 3- 4:30pm

OCTOBER 15 MMHLA Allied Café Holiday Inn u of M 10-2pm 22 MRA Golf Tournament Mirimichi Golf Club 9am

nOVEMBER 5 General Business Meeting & Mixer TBD 3:30- 630pm 6 MRA Associate Coffee Club* Panera -Laurelwood 8 – 9 am 19 Board Meeting TBD 3- 4:30pm DECEMBER TBD Hospitality Industry Holiday Gala TBD 4-8pm

* FOR ASSOCIATE MEMBERS OnLy

Business Meetings & MixersBoard Meetings

Associate Coffee ClubsEvents & Socials

SteamCleaning

Restaurant FireSuppression Systems

FireExtinguishers

One Source for All Your Fire Protection Needswww.statesystemsinc.com

(901)542-0612

5900 E. Holmes Road363-4541 • 800-850-3310

CALL 360-9197For the Nearest Restaurant Equipment Dealer

distributors of:

1200 Pike AvenueNorth Little Rock, AR 72114501-978-5000 1-800-777-2358

What matters to you, matters to us

Customer Service 1.800.968.4164

“Home of Flat Rate Processing.”

• One Flat Rate for credit cards• 24/7 Support

• Free gift and loyalty card processing• Call us today for a free analysis!

• Tiered and pass-through programs also availablewww.flatratesolutions.net

Brian Edwards (901)570-0008 office (800)588-5089 fax

For your total non-alcoholic beverage needs contactcall: 901-454-8657

FEDERAL EQUIPMENT DEALERS, INC.Restaurant Equipment & Supplies

4800 Summer Ave.901-683-2700Fax: 901/683-2709

“Selling, Installing and Servicing the #1 Windows Restaurant Touchscreen Point of Sale System.”

8410 Wolf Lake Drive • Suite 106Bartlett, TN 38133Office: 901.377.9880or call Carl Webb @ 901.606.8200

Supporting Memphis’ restaurateurs unique needs.

“Not just real estate”Alex Fauser, Commercial Division901-758-5622Nashville/Memphis/Chattanooga/Little Rock

For more information, scroll to an ad and click.

M. PALAZOLA PRODUCE 2713 Chelsea Avenue

452-9797

A.S. BARBORO, INC.5020 Tuggle Road795-5310

485 N. Hollywood St. Memphis TN 38112(901) 458-2503

WWW.CHEFS-SUPPLY.COM

SERVING THE MID-SOUTH FOR OVER

45 YEARS!

Maximize your profitability …with Heartland Payment Systems® — the National Restaurant Asso-ciation and Tennessee Hospitality Association’s exclusively endorsed provider of card processing, gift marketing and payroll and tip manage-ment services. For more information, contact Ginger Rogers DeMaris, at Ginger.DeMaris@e-hps.com, 501-278-6928 cell

4359 B.F. Goodrich Blvd.795-2300

“Committed to Quality Service”

For more information, scroll to an ad and click.

LEADER IN SMART, SAFE, SUSTAINABLE OILMANAGEMENT FOR THE FOOD INDUSTRY.

Julie A. BrionesAccount Managerjbriones@rti-inc.comcell 901-619-7803Customer Care 1-888-796-4997

Marty HallOn-Premise Sales Representative

West Tennessee - Restaurants

671 S. Rowlett West Collierville, TN 38017Phone 901.853.5704 • Fax 901.853.5728 • Repair 866.287.3774

dwayne.hall@pepsiamericas.com

Interested in this ad space?Contact Kimberly@memphisrestaurants.com

3R Project (Division of Corrections/ reentry program)John H. Freeman ............545-3175(office),596-8846(cell)

email: John.Freeman@shelbycountytn.gov Project MOSTPatricia Melton ...................................................222-8868

email: patricia.melton@shelbycountytn.govCommercial Appeal Jennifer Biggs, Food Editor ............................ 529-5223 email: biggs@commercialappeal.comFederal Probation Re-entry Program Gloria Simpson .............................................495-1460

gloria_simpson@tnwd.uscourts.govGreater Memphis Chamber Angela Michaels, Manager/Member Services ..... 543-3546

email: amichaels@memphischamber.comMemphis Convention & Visitors Bureau Mary Schmitz, Tourist Information Link ......... 543-5327 email: mary@mcvb.orgMemphis Flyer Hannah Sayle ................................................ 626-3489

email: sayle@contemporarymedia.comMemphis Magazine Marilyn Sadler .................................................575.9451

email: sadler@memphismagazine.com

Memphis Light Gas & Water24 Hour Outage Number: ................................ 544-6500 (after business hours)24 Hour Emergency Number: ..................................528-4465 (Call for burst water pipes, gas leaks, power line down)Commercial Resource Center: ....................... 528-4270(outage information during regular business hours, 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.)........................ email: crc@mlgw.orgResidential & Commercial Electric Outage Reporting (reports status of current outages) ..................... 544-6500Al Sander’s Direct Line ............. 528-4143, 491-5235 (cell)(Use this number during business hours for suggestions and tips on how to best utilize your energy sources.)

email: asanders@mlgw.org

Memphis & Shelby County Code Enforcement Ask for a Building Plans Examiner ..................... 379-4270Memphis & Shelby County Health Department Otho Sawyer, Assistant Manager ................... 222-9213 email: Otho.Sawyer@shelbycountytn.govNational Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Randy Horn, Territory Manager...................... 605-5774 email: randy.horn@comcast.netProject Green Fork Margot McNeeley ............................................ .292-1700ServSafeTIPS Alcohol Server Training Certification Richard Zurburg ...............................................861-2535

rzurburg@comcast.netTennessee Hospitality Association Melissa McIntyre .......................................615-385-9970 email: melissa@tnhospitality.netTIPS/TABC Certification Sharon Sumrall .....office: 737-6755 or mobile: 569-1207

The 2013 MRA BOARD OF DIRECTORS“Our Members Hotline to the Association”

Visit us on the web!

Like us on facebook!

President ............................... Patrick Reilly, The Majestic Grille522-8555, FAX: 328-5655

patrick@majesticgrille.comVice-President ...........................Shawn Danko, Kooky Canuck

578-9800, FAX:578-9808 swdanko@comcast.net Treasurer .....................Lisa Franklin, Interim Restaurant & Bar

818-0821, FAX:818-0819 lisa@interimrestaurant.com

Secretary ........ Kate Pera, Catering for U, Alfred’s, Automatic Slims528-1748, kate@cateringforu.com

Sergeant-at-Arms .... Daniel Bamrick, Peabody Hotel Memphis529-3687, FAX: 529-3639

daniel.bamrick@peabodymemphis.comPast President .......................................... Mike Miller, Patrick’s

682-2853, FAX:767-9673redrockmm@gmail.com

2013 Elected Restaurant OfficersTaylor Berger, YOLO, Chiwawa .................................................... 552-6252

tcbmem@gmail.comSamantha Dean, Huey’s .............................................726-9693, FAX: 726-5162

sdean@hueys.cc

2013 Appointed Officers Restaurant Members

Eric Vernon, The Bar-B-Q Shop ............................................................272-1277 evernon001@gmail.com

Jerry Wilson, Fino’s from the Hill ............ 272-3466, jerrywilsonjr@yahoo.com

Associate MembersHale Barclay GEM Distributors ..................................744-7005, FAX: 744-7069

haleb@candleland.comLouis Costabile, SYSCO Memphis, LLC ...................369-9287, FAX: 375-8855

costabile.louis@mem.sysco.comJohn Seay, State Systems, Inc. .......................................................... 489-0421

jseay@statesystemsinc.comGinger Wilkerson, Athens Distributing. ............................................. 774-8888

gwilkerson@athendistributing.comMaury Wade, U. S. Food ...........................230-4186, maury.wade@usfood.com

Hotel/Lodging Representative:Wayne Tabor, Metropolitan Memphis Hotel & Lodging Assoc. .............. 525-5491

wtabor@hisdowntownmemphis.comTourism: Mary Schmitz, Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau ....543-5327, FAX: 543-5350

mary@mcvb.orgExecutive Director: Kimberly Carlson ........................ 488-4745, 1-888-836-5061

kimberly@memphisrestaurants.com

P.O. Box 770027 Memphis, Tennessee 38177 901/788-1000 • FAX 1-888-836-5061http://www.memphisrestaurants.com

E-mail address: dining@memphisrestaurants.com

Important Numbers At a GlanceTips The

MeMphis RestauRant association Newsletter