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October 20, 2013
The Sustainable DC Plan is the District’s first sustainability plan that lays out a path forward to make the District the healthiest, greenest, most livable city in the nation over the next 20 years. In the summer of 2011, Mayor Gray announced a new initiative to make DC a leader in sustainability, while improving quality of life and creating new economic growth for all residents. Nearly 18 months later, with the collaboration and hard work of residents, workers, business leaders and professional experts, the District has a strategy to address our core urban challenges with innovative,...
October 10, 2013
Michael Neibauer, Washington Business Journal
Mayor Vincent Gray has proposed banning foam food containers in the District, citing their harmful effect on the Anacostia River. The measure is part of a package of bills Gray recently submitted to the D.C. Council as part of his effort to “make the District of Columbia the healthiest, greenest, and most livable city in the United States,” the mayor wrote in a letter to D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson.
The legislation bans “expanded polystyrene” in food containers, plates, clamshells, hot and cold beverage...
October 9, 2013 to March 14, 2014
The Mayor's 2014 Sustainability Awards will recognize outstanding individuals, businesses, schools, institutions, and organizations for their environmental leadership and contributions to the Mayor's vision that the District become the greenest, healthiest, and most livable city in the nation.
To apply, please read, complete, and return the application instructions and cover sheet below. Application deadline is Friday, March 14, 2014.
Application Instructions
October 1, 2013
Business owners can reduce operating costs by evaluating energy expenses. A new report, Best Practices: Electricity Procurement, discusses the major impact that electricity costs have on middle-market operating budgets. View the report for information and best practices regarding how to select the right electricity supplier, what to consider before signing a contract, and which hidden items impact your final electricity bill. You can also benchmark your energy usage and costs, and become better equipped to make smart energy-related decisions. View the report.
October 1, 2013
Jason Dangle, Fishbowl SM3 Team
It happens to every restaurant at some point. A bad day has led to a displeased guest. In the old days, you might have to deal with negative word of mouth. But, with the rise of websites like Yelp, a bad review can have a boomerang effect, impacting the bottom line of a restaurant substantially over time.
Fishbowl’s SM3 team works with restaurants every day to alleviate the damage a bad review can create. Over time, they’ve developed a system of best practices to give you the confidence to deal with harsh criticism. We sat down with SM3...
October 1, 2013
Small business owners know their ability to offer employees high-quality health insurance is a competitive advantage in the labor market.
DC Health Link is an online marketplace for individuals, families, and small business owners in the District of Columbia to help them shop, compare, and select health insurance. DC-based small businesses with 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) are be able to see all health insurance policies and prices and make choices to best meet their needs and budgets.
Download the Small Business Guide
September 23, 2013
Tony Ventre, Heartland Restaurant Solutions Insights
For restaurateurs, mobile payment acceptance solutions are giving new meaning to the saying “think outside the box.” By transforming smartphones and tablets into mobile point-of-sale systems and providing the freedom to accept credit/debit/gift card payments from anywhere at any time, mobile payments enable you to take your business beyond your four walls.
With the use of mobile payments, many restaurateurs are taking advantage of untapped sales opportunities. Consider utilizing mobile technology to facilitate...
September 4, 2013
Julie Jargon, Wall Street Journal
Gratuities Added for Larger Groups Will Be Taxed as Service Charges
An updated tax rule is causing restaurants to rethink the practice of adding automatic tips to the tabs of large parties.
Starting in January, the Internal Revenue Service will begin classifying those automatic gratuities as service charges—which it treats as regular wages, subject to payroll tax withholding—instead of tips, which restaurants leave up to the employees to report as income.
The change would mean more paperwork and added costs for the restaurants—...
August 28, 2013
August 28, 2013 (Washington, DC) - In a press release distributed this morning, the District's Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) unveiled a new alcoholic beverage warning sign that will be posted in approximately 1,800 ABC licensed establishments in the District. Licensees are required to post the new sign in a conspicuous place on the licensed premises by Wednesday, Nov. 27.
The new sign allows ABRA to address several warnings and requirements for consuming alcoholic beverages in one posted notice and will also reduce the number of notices an ABC establishment is...
June 3, 2013
When Is a Tip Just a Tip?
Tipping in the hospitality industry is considered the normal course of business. However, the IRS considers tipping, in certain situations, to be taxed differently through payroll. Employers in this industry now need to be diligent in their recordkeeping. ...
May 15, 2013
You ask and we answer. The following questions and answers are a result of responses we received from the earlier round of FAQs.
Health Care FAQ's For Restaurants
My restaurant has fewer than 50 employees and I offer insurance but only to my senior staff. Since we’re under 50 and exempt from the employer health care mandate, can we continue to offer to only some of our staff?
There are five restaurants trading under the same name in our group but each restaurant was set up individually with a different mix of...
April 30, 2013
Below you will find an FAQ session that will help update you on the health care mandate. We would like to continue with frequent updates based on what you need and want to know. So please, send us your questions for the next FAQ session to betsy@ramw.org:
Health Care FAQ's For Restaurants
Will all restaurants have to offer health benefits to their employees?
What are my options for offering health care to my employees?
Am I OK with the insurance I have now?
I have restaurants in DC, Virginia and Maryland...
February 28, 2013
Scott Attman, Acme Paper & Supply Co. for Franchise Times
Now that the Federal Trade Commission’s new Green Guides are in effect, restaurant industry and other franchisors can expect big changes in several elements of their business. For starters, marketers who pitch products as environmentally friendly have to back up their claims or face fines. If the FTC finds product marketing misleading, it will begin filing suits against the companies in question, just as it does for health claims made by food manufacturers. Precise verbiage in product descriptions will be important...
January 1, 2013
Source: The District of Columbia Department of Health
The District of Columbia Department of Health has revised its food safety regulations by adopting the 1999 federal Food Code, with amendments that are specific to the District of Columbia. The adoption of the federal Food Code is the core of the regulations. The following questions and answers are intended to help businesses comply with these regulations.
What is the federal Food Code?
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) publishes the federal Food Code, a document of food sanitation regulations for retail outlets, and...
September 17, 2012
By J.D. Harrison , Washington Post, Capital BusinessSeptember 17, 2012Washington’s food truck owners will soon operate under an improved tax system, but they are still waiting for the city to approve additional changes to long-standing regulations they say were meant for old-fashioned ice cream trucks and make life unnecessarily complicated for today’s mobile vendors.Starting next month, food trucks will charge and file the same 10 percent sales tax as their brick-and-mortar counterparts, a popular alternative to the current system, by which licensed vendors on every truck pay a...
May 14, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Betsy Allman, Policy Advisor202.331.5990 or betsy@ramw.org Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington ...
April 16, 2012
RAMW Backs Mayor’s Budget Proposal to Extend Alcohol Service Hours in Testimony Provided DC Council Committee Three years ago, between January 17 and 21, 2009, the nation’s capital hosted an unprecedented number of visitors for the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Also unprecedented was the emergency legislationapproved by the D.C. Council allowing for extended alcoholic beverage service hours at the city’s restaurants, bars, nightclubs and hotels. More than 280 alcohol-licensed establishments chose to participate during this extraordinary five-day hospitality...
Comment period on vending regulations ends: Businesses, including restaurants, raise serious and sub
February 29, 2012
Comment period onvending regulations ends: Businesses, including restaurants, raise serious andsubstantive concerns about proposed regulations WASHINGTON, DC (March 1,2012) – Today marked the end of a nearly 6 week period during which theDepartment of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) accepted commentsconcerning proposed regulations to govern vending, including food trucks, inthe District of Columbia. Over 70 restaurant operators employing over 6,500area residents expressed concerns about the proposed regulations, principallyabout a provision that allows food trucks to operate...
February 27, 2012
D.C. Council to Move on Bill That Would Make Food Trucks Charge Sales Tax dcistFebruary 28, 2012 On the same day this week that a 30-day comment period for new rules on the city's food trucks closes, a D.C. Council committee will mark-up legislation that would force the city's increasingly popular four-wheeled vendors to charge sales taxes. This Thursday the Committee on Finance and Revenue will move on the Vendor Sales Tax Collection and Remittance Act of 2011, a bill introduced last yearby Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) that would force food trucks to charge...
February 7, 2012
Food Trucks In Other CitiesFebruary 8, 2012 Below are interesting pieces from other cities. Thearticle from Austin is particularly interesting in that, even with restrictionsagainst trucks in CBDs and elsewhere, they were looking to have over 1,600trucks by the end of 2011. Austin is a little bigger than DC but not by much,so the continued and growing popularity of the trucks says a lot about sensiblepublic space management not hampering their business. CURRENT FOOD TRUCK VENDING REGULATIONS Baltimore1.) No food truckvending is allowed within the "downtown area,...
December 1, 2011
Sunday 8amAlcoholic Beverage Service Now Legal Duein large part to RAMW’s efforts, on-premise licensees are now allowed to servealcoholic beverages on Sundays beginning at 8:00am if approved by The ABCBoard. Forthose that are eligible, the application to file a change of hours is on lineat www.abra.dc.gov and THERE IS NO APPLICATION FEE. Clickhere to see full letter from ABRA for details.
December 1, 2011
2011 DC Sales Tax law change notices effective October 1, 2011 Please click links below for important tax law changes: Security Services • Cigarettes • Parking • Alcoholic Beverages
November 30, 2011
DC Restaurant License Renewals
You may now renew your restaurant license (Basic Business License), without a current health inspection certificate.
Click here to read the letter from Nicolas Majette, DCRA Director.
September 20, 2011
Due in largepart to RAMW’s efforts, on-premise licensees are now allowed to serve alcoholicbeverages on Sundays beginning at 8:00am if approved by The ABC Board.Forthose that are eligible, the application to file a change of hours is on lineat www.abra.dc.gov and THERE IS NO APPLICATION FEE. Clickhere to see full letter from ABRA for details.
April 15, 2011
ABRA has stepped up inspections and enforcement of the regulations requiring import permits. A violation will likely result in a $2,000 fine, and possibly a suspension of your license.As an ABC licensee in the District, it is your responsibility to assure that the alcoholic beverages served in your business are purchased either from D.C. licensed wholesalers, or have been brought into the District and delivered to you under an import permit issued by ABRA. IT IS NOT THE OUT OF STATE WHOLESALER’S RESPONSIBILITY TO PROCURE THE IMPORT PERMIT, it is yours. An Import permit is required for...
