We’ve all had those days when you wish you had more hours in a day, or better yet—a personal assistant to help you get things done. For restaurant operators, those days happen often.
You’ve got a ton to manage. Even the things you can expect to deal with every day can be overwhelming, even if you know what is going to happen. Scheduling, payroll, inventory, purchasing, and so many other needs are thrown at you every day. Then, there are the inevitable emergencies that you can’t plan for that are bound to come up. It could be that a pipe burst, or the wrong produce arrived on the delivery truck. Maybe your POS system needs to be replaced, or you don’t know who to call to clean and repair your beer lines.
To make matters worse, a new labor regulation has snuck up on you, and you don’t know exactly what you are legally required to do, and when. For instance, do you know when minimum wage is next scheduled to increase and by how much? What if you had someone to remind you?
So, where is that assistant that you know you need, but can’t afford?
This is where your restaurant association comes in. Your dues, starting at just $25 per month, give you access to information and resources that can help you. Use it!
Treat US like your assistant. It’s what we do. There is a live chat box on our website manned Monday through Friday from 8 to 5. You can also reach us by phone with your questions. Some of the common questions we get include:
- Calculating overtime for tipped employees
- Clarifying comments from the environment department on your inspection
- Finding a vendor who specializes in just what you need
- Understanding liquor laws and requirements
We can also mediate for you when you are having challenges that need that extra push. One of our members was given misleading information from a music licensing company. He reached out to the membership department, and they were able to contact our personal liaison at the company. The personal contact was able to clarify the information, and with NMRA’s assistance, the owner was saved from the worry of a threatened fine and hours of back and forth with customer service.
We received a call recently from a member who was receiving recurring charges on their credit card account that, despite challenging the charges, were still continuing. Again, we were able to reach out to a personal contact with their credit services provider who is currently researching the issue for the member.
Outside of office hours? Use our website 24-7 to get what you need. Our Online Directory includes vendors who have also paid NMRA dues. They have a buy-in to your success. Rather than searching for hours on Google or Yelp to find a vendor, why not choose one that already has committed to YOUR industry through membership? As a plus, many of them also provide discounts to NMRA restaurant members.
Need to schedule some one on one time? Contact Dionne, NMRA’s Membership Director. You can even schedule an appointment online. You can discuss the different challenges that you are facing with those day-to-day tasks, and we can take a look to see if we can offer resources to help. You don’t get that kind of personal consultation help from Google or the Yellow Pages.
You’ve probably also subscribed to industry publications to help stay on top of the latest rules and trends. Despite your best intentions, you probably have not found the time to read through everything. That’s why we follow the news, narrow that down, and provide to you what we feel is the most useful and pressing information for restaurant operators in NM on our Facebook page , LinkedIn page, and emails. So, make sure you are getting emails from NMRA and are following our social channels. These will include valuable webinars, the latest food safety class schedules, regulatory and legal alerts, and more.
So, there you have it. Your own assistant. Just a phone call, email, or online resource away. Starting at just 82 cents a day! Membership matters.
We also have over 80 years of restaurant experience on our staff. Just try and stump us.
