On July 20th the U.S. Department of Labor signaled its plan to rescind the tip-pooling restrictions put in place under the Obama Administration. It stated it will issue a “Notice of Proposed Rulemaking,”specifically, “in this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the Department will propose to rescind the current restrictions on tip pooling by employers that pay tipped […]
15 Ingredients for Successful Advocacy
This year it’s more important than ever for our members to talk to local and statewide elected officials about issues affecting you restaurant. We call this advocacy: the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal. What’s better than advocating for ourselves and your employees. Here are 15 Ingredients for Successful Advocacy: Be […]
2018 – Important Election Year for Restaurants in New Mexico
A few words from NMRA CEO Carol Wight: Why is this 2018 election year important to your restaurant and why you are important to our collective voice? This election year is important because the landscape of our elected officials is drastically changing — think California. Elected officials don’t understand how to manage a bottom line […]
Gross Receipts Tax Increase Effective 7/1/18
The New Mexico Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) is a required piece of your operating budget. The gross receipts tax rate varies throughout the state depending on the location of your business. Recent changes to your area may have occurred and will go into effect 7/1/18. Click here to view the tax rate schedule for your area.
Menu Labeling in Full Force and Effect
The time has come (finally)! Effective May 7, 2018, the menu-labeling regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officially became the law of the land. This is a good thing – Find out why here. Does This Affect You? Restaurants and similar retail food establishments with 20 or more locations or a franchisee chain with 20 or […]
Immigration Compliance Webinar – Be Ready For ICE
Common Sense I-9 Compliance and What to do When ICE Comes Knocking Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) has dramatically increased its I-9 audit activities in New Mexico and the consequences of non-compliance can be severe and include, but are not limited to, unwelcome business interruption, exorbitant fines, unwanted exposure, and even criminal charges. I-9 Employment Eligibility […]
Tip Pooling Rules… What’s the big deal?
Finally a decision on tip pooling! Restaurants have the direction we need to move forward in sharing tips with the heart-of-the-house (HOH) employees (kitchen, bussers and dishwashers) – under certain circumstances. For restaurants this clarification has been long awaited. In the last few years, there have been many lawsuits and differing judgements making it difficult […]
.05 Making Criminals of Good Citizens
.05 Making Criminals of Good Citizens If you live in New Mexico you know drunk driving is a problem. It seems that headlines consistently point to drunk drivers with multiple DWI charges killing someone while driving drunk for the 8th time. Most of these offenders are well over the legal blood-alcohol content (BAC) of .08. […]
NMRA Wants You To Be Ready For Your Health Inspection
9 Tips To Prepare for Your Health Inspection NMRA says the proper strategy for a successful health inspection is to be ready at all times. To stay ahead of the game, managers can conduct weekly, in-house inspections. Here are nine tips to help your team prepare: Use the same form – or a similar form […]
Who will be scheduling your employees? You or the government?
Scheduling is a pain! Anyone who has ever been in charge of a restaurant schedule knows how painful it is. There are many pressures including anticipating business volume, employee expectations and requests for time off. The next scheduling pressure point is going to come from politicians. Yes you heard me. Politicians are interested in how […]
Employees Sue Restaurant… Who is the Victim?
It could be you! I just had a very disturbing visit from an immigrant couple who recently had to close their restaurant in Santa Fe. It appears they were sued by three employees for not paying the “living wage” in Santa Fe. The City attorney audited the restaurant for each case and found that in […]