Member Update
May 13, 2020
What's Inside:
DEED Hospitality Roundtable
Outdoor Seating Advocacy
Rep. Phillips Introduces PPP Fixes
FDA Releases Re-Opening Checklist
Ecolab Webinars
CSRA Webinar
Teacher of the Year Semifinalist
In the News
DEED Hospitality Roundtable
The DEED Hospitality Roundtable meets today at 3:30 to review reopening guidance. In light of the Governor’s expected announcement at 6:00, the group is conferring swiftly to finalize a document that will help hospitality businesses engage in safe reopening. More to come.
Outdoor Seating Advocacy
Our push to allow hospitality businesses to expand outdoor seating to parking lots and other areas continues. Duluth was the first to take action . We have now worked with members to reach out to eight other cities, including St. Paul, Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, Lakeville, Blaine, Maplewood, West St. Paul and Champlin. If you are interested in working to expand outdoor seating in your city contact ben@hospitalitymn.com  
Rep. Phillips Introduces PPP Fixes
Rep. Dean Phillips, Congressman for Minnesota’s 3rd District, has introduced bipartisan legislation to  fix problems  with the PPP. The Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act aims to: 

  1. Allow forgiveness for expenses beyond the 8-week covered period.   
  2. Eliminate restrictions limiting non-payroll expenses to 25% of loan proceeds.   
  3. Eliminate restrictions that limit loan terms to 2 years.   
  4. Ensure full access to payroll tax deferment for businesses that take PPP loans.   
  5. Extend the rehiring deadline to offset the effect of enhanced Unemployment Insurance.  

Contact  your federal representatives and ask them to co-author and support this measure now.
FDA Releases Re-Opening Checklist
The Food and Drug Administration has recently released a  new best practices food safety checklist  for retail food establishments on re-opening.
Ecolab Webinars
Hospitality Minnesota Strategic Partner, Ecolab, is offering two sessions of a new webinar, “Best Practices for Resuming Operations” with Ecolab expert, Kaycee Strewler. Register for  May 15 (12-1pm EST)  or  May 19 (3-4pm EST) .
CSRA Webinar
The Council of State Restaurant Association and Dining Alliance are hosting an operators’ webinar,  “Chef’s Corner – Reopening Your Restaurant Business”  on Monday, May 18 from 2-3pm EDT, featuring Chef David Burke, Commander’s Palace in New Orleans LA, and Carolyn Bradfield, Houck’s Grill in Roswell GA.
Teacher of the Year Semifinalist
Congratulations to Courtney Globo, a Food and Consumer Science teacher at Como Park High School is one of 36 semifinalists for the  Minnesota Teacher of the Year Award . Courtney, an instructor with our ProStart program at Como Park, was nominated by one of her students. 
In the News
Our Member Updates are generally sent to members only. In the interest of public health and the health of our industry, we encourage you to share this update widely. Additional resources can be found on our  website  and through our social media posts on   Facebook , LinkedIn  and  Twitter .