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Operations and Maryland
October 31, 2018
In the restaurant industry, filling shifts⎼and keeping them filled⎼is vital to the success of your business. When you don’t have ample staff to help prep and cook food, bus and wait tables and clean dishes, your customer experience can suffer. So what can businesses do when they have a last-minute callout and the dinner rush starts in less than an hour? Businesses in the D.C. metro area are leaning on Snag Work, an on-demand mobile platform providing front-and-back of house staff to employers in need.
Founded in Richmond, Va., in 2016 and introduced to the D.C. metro area...
August 1, 2018
Most payment processing systems, including point-of-sale terminals, operate through an internet connection. Unfortunately, technology isn’t always the most reliable. It can freeze, glitch or shut down altogether, bringing everything – including processing payments – to a screeching halt. That’s why it’s imperative that your business has equipment in place to keep business transactions up and running in the event of an internet outage.
Many offline terminals use a similar queue system (at Heartland it’s called Store and Forward) that allows you to...
July 5, 2018
National Restaurant Association / July 5, 2018
An E. coli outbreak is a nightmare for everyone: the customers, the community and the restaurant where it happened. For restaurant operators, corrective next steps are crucial to success; they can’t afford to make one mistake.
What should you do in the event of an outbreak? First, pay attention to all information, updates and product recall announcements. Because the food supply chain is complex, sometimes suppliers or manufacturers don’t deliver timely notices of the recall.
Below, Ashley Miller, one of our food safety...
August 15, 2017
Restaurants, especially smaller establishments, need to make the most of their IT budgets to remain profitable and competitive. One way to stretch an IT budget is with Software as a Service (SaaS) for your Point-of-Sale (POS) system.
Instead of buying a high-priced physical copy of a software platform, SaaS lets you keep that cash flow and instead pay a reasonable fixed monthly subscription rate.
Here are three benefits that make SaaS worth considering.
Cost. Buying and maintaining software can carry significant upfront costs and additional unexpected costs...
June 16, 2017
Even though more than 97 percent of all U.S. credit cards are now issued with chips, many restaurant owners continue to struggle to implement and maintain EMV technology due to cost and complexity. In fact, more than 60 percent of U.S. merchants still aren’t ready, even though the “liability shift” went into effect more than two years ago.
Restaurants are a leading target for point-of-sale intrusions – which can be costly – so it’s more important than ever to ensure your business is protected.
Heartland offers out-of-...
May 15, 2017
Beginning June 30, 2017, MasterCard will require all point-of-sale systems to accept credit cards with Bank Identification Numbers that begin with a 2. Currently, all MasterCard cards issued begin with 5. The new 2-series cards will effectively double the number of available MasterCard credit cards worldwide and will be processed in the same manner as current MasterCard cards.
Please note that if you are using a third-party POS system, you should contact your provider to determine if any action is required for your system to accept the new 2-series cards. Not only could you...
May 5, 2017
Veteran restaurateurs will tell you that making great food isn’t the biggest challenge of running a good restaurant. Making food profitably is the real beast.
Despite ever-rising ingredient costs compressing margins to razor-thinness, operators are reluctant to pass those increases on to price-conscious consumers. That makes monitoring every step of the food production process—from the loading dock to the very plates on which food is served—essential if an operation is going to make money.
It's always fun to hear customers’ rave reviews about your food, but...
January 17, 2017
Lending made easy: Secure more dough to get back to your bread and butter
Balancing your everyday operating costs while investing in expenses to grow your business doesn’t have to feel like juggling hot plates. While a small business loan may seem daunting, it’s often the best way to boost your bottom line. Here are a few reasons you may consider a loan:
Expansion – Is business booming out your front door? If you need a bigger space or need to hire more employees or fresh talent to keep up, a loan can help you cover the cost of expanding without...
November 7, 2016
It’s been approximately one year since the EMV liability shift took effect and it’s time for a mid-term report card on EMV’s issuance, acceptance, speed, security and overall impact.
EMV Issuance
In terms of card issuance, I have to give the issuers a “B+” for the pure volume of credit and debit cards they’ve placed in the hands of millions of cardholders, starting even before the liability shift began. As of June 2016, Visa reported that 125 million credit cards were issued, representing 44% of all credit cards. Visa also reported that 126 million...
November 2, 2016 to November 20, 2016
Liability shift lifts veil on small counterfeit charges
By: Georgia Stavrakis, CPP
It’s been a year since the U.S. migrated to EMV technology, and more than 1 million businesses now use EMV chip-embedded credit card readers. Unfortunately, criminals are taking full advantage of businesses that haven’t fully made the switch, leaving even small businesses vulnerable to costly chargebacks.
Restaurants have been plagued for years by counterfeit, stolen and cloned credit card activity, but it’s much more apparent now that liability for these fraudulent charges...
July 6, 2016
Whether you want to reduce operating costs, increase the reliability of your energy supply, upgrade inefficient systems, increase your revenue potential or improve the ambience of your restaurant —Washington Gas is here to help. Our team will help you determine what investments will save the most energy and money. We’ll survey your structure or planned project, assess your energy needs and recommend natural gas solutions that will give you optimal performance at absolutely no cost to you. Our team also has the experience and technical expertise to walk you through each...
June 23, 2016
Have you experienced an increasing number of chargebacks in the wake of last fall's liability shift? Now that the fraud liability shift has moved to merchants, many restaurant operators are seeing an increase in chargebacks in the restaurant space. Many restaurant POS companies do not have a method (EMV) to process these cards which in turn exposes the restaurant to the liability. Join the National Restaurant Assocation (NRA) and Heartland Payment Systems for a webinar on this topic on June 23, 11 a.m. ET.
During this webinar, experts from Heartland and the...
November 5, 2015
Content provided by Heartland Payment Systems a RAMW Endorsed Provider.
The liability shift deadline has passed. And guess what? The world didn’t come to an end—just like it didn’t when the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2000. But unlike Y2K, EMV is here to stay.
The good news is the sun didn’t set for good on October 1. Maybe you were aware of the liability shift, but decided against the equipment upgrade. You might have had every intention of becoming compatible, but before you knew it, October 1 had come and gone.
Or you could still be trying to...
September 30, 2015
Restaurants and the foodservice industry in the DC Metropolitan region are major drivers of business growth. Restaurants account for nearly 60,000 jobs just in DC and the industry brings in over $2.6 billion in spending to the District. Still, restaurant owners and operators face a delicate battle to maintain a sustainable bottom line and continue to create and maintain jobs.
Learn about how restaurants thrive in our region, about the challenges and economics of owning a foodservice business, and read the stories of the people behind some of our regions best restaurants in the...
August 14, 2015
The EMV (European MasterCard Visa) migration is rolling full steam ahead in the United States and it’s a tectonic shift of the nation’s payments infrastructure. Banks and card issuers are sending out chip cards to their customers, while retailers are deploying new terminals to support them. Effective October 1, 2015 Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express have mandated liability shifts for fraudulent transactions. Generally, liability will shift to the party using the least secure technology. If you’re like many restaurateurs, you may be having a hard time...
July 8, 2015
Montgomery County Council Changes Minimum Wage Effective Dates and Freezes Tip Wage at Current $4.00
New Effective Dates
Earlier this year, the Montgomery County Council passed legislation which changes the 2016 and 2017 effective dates for County minimum wage increases. On October 1, 2015, the Montgomery County minimum wage will increase from the current $8.40/hour to $9.55/hour as scheduled. However, subsequent wage increases will become effective in July instead of October in order to align the County with statewide minimum wage effective dates.
Tip Wage...
September 18, 2014 to October 18, 2014
Focus on cleanliness, good hygiene practices
to prep your restaurant for an A+
By Kristin Dempsey
Heading up a restaurant means there is an endless list of things you need to get ready for each and every day. In the hustle and bustle of the daily lunch rush or the late-night crowd, it’s easy to push one of the most important items farther and farther down the “to do” list: Get ready for the next health inspection.
You don’t want to be left scrambling to make sure everything is up to code right before an expected visit – which you can’t predict anyway....
August 5, 2014
WATCH: Nizam Ali of Ben's Chili Bowl talks about healthcare solutions for restaurants and small businesses. "It's not a business decision, it's just the right decision."
Video Link: Nizam, Ben's Chili Bowl
August 1, 2014
Restaurant professionals agree: Hard work and a smile can carry a restaurateur from hand towels and busing to handshakes and board rooms. Find out how eight industry leaders from Washington, D.C., turned their first jobs into their life’s work.
Read more
May 12, 2014
Washington, DC (May 12, 2014)—On May 8, Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) brought together over 80 leaders from the region’s foodservice and business communities for a conversation about the state of the industry in the nation’s capital. The discussion, moderated by Bret Thorn, Senior Food Editor of Nation’s Restaurant News, offered insights into operator success in an ever more competitive market.
Panelists included 2014 RAMMY Awards nominees for Service Program of the Year including Adam Sanders (General Manager, BLT Steak), Joseph Cerione...
May 12, 2014
Do You Have All The Coverage You Need?
Your restaurant insurance policy includes hundreds of pages of coverages, exclusions and endorsements. Unless you’re an insurance expert, it can be tough to know which ones are most important for your business. With the Restaurant Insurance Package, everyone is aware of their required property, general liability, crime and spoilage coverage. Here are some additional coverages that restaurateurs often overlook:
What Other Types of Insurance Do I Need?
General Liability and Property Insurance typically only cover the basics, but most restaurants...
April 30, 2014
Baltimore, MD - April 30, 2014 - Foodem, an innovative B2B online food procurement marketplace and business intelligence solution for the $650 billion U.S. wholesale food distribution industry, and the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW), are pleased to announce the establishment of their new strategic partnership. Launched in late 2013, Foodem facilitates relationships, automates foodservice procurement processes and connects wholesale food buyers with small to mid-sized food distributors, local farms and specialty food manufacturers.
The new partnership with RAMW...
March 3, 2014
Updates on the Green Dot Money Pack/Pepco Scam
RAMW has been in touch with Pepco and they are aware of the Green Dot Scam. If you receive a call from a person claiming to be from Pepco or any other service provider it is important that you:
take precautions to verify the person is affiliated with the company, especially if that person is requesting an immediate credit card or cash payment. Pepco will never ask a customer to provide a specific form of payment and always offers customers multiple payment options.
ask for official photo identification from any person who shows...
February 26, 2014
In the restaurant industry, success depends on a strong brand concept that is successfully executed, tightly managed for profitability, and delivers a consistent customer experience. The challenge facing the leaders of food and beverage operations is how to successfully align leadership, management, and staff in accomplishing these objectives. In our experience, the most successful organizations have maintained competitive advantage and realized profitable revenue growth by establishing core values that help everyone make decisions that best support the brand.
Core values are the...
February 26, 2014
Restaurants consume five to seven times more energy than other businesses. From long operating hours to energy-intensive food preparation, it’s easy to see why restaurants use such a high amount of energy. Unfortunately, this means that restaurants also waste more energy than a typical business. In fact, according to Pacific Gas and Electric, the food service industry wastes around $8 billion in energy every year. In the District, the DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU) offers rebates on everything from energy-efficient stoves and fryers to refrigeration and HVAC upgrades that can...
