GRA Weekly
September 1, 2022
This week's newsletter is brought to you by GRA Corporate Partner, Gas South.
GEORGIA'S BEST & BRIGHTEST!
Please join us for an unforgettable evening celebrating Georgia's Best & Brightest! 
The Georgia Restaurant Association invites you to join us for the 14th Annual GRACE Awards gala, an event that ​recognizes hospitality and foodservice professionals for excellence and achievement in their fields.

Help us celebrate the amazing Georgia Restaurant Industry!

September 27 | Georgia Aquarium
2022 GRACE AWARDS FINALISTS + HONOREES

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT HONOREE
Dr. Debra F. Cannon, Ph.D.
Georgia State University | Robinson College of Business | Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality

RESTAURATEUR OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
Amici Food Group (Michael Torino + Chris Torino)
PITA Mediterranean Street Food (Nour Rabai)
Southern Proper Hospitality (Chris Hadermann)
VanTrece Hospitality (Deborah VanTrece)

RESTAURATEUR ROOKIE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
Lil Ice Cream Dude Cool World Ice Cream Shop (Victor “Beau” Shell)
MAD Hospitality (Preston Snyder)
Mukja Korean Fried Chicken (Sean Chang)
Southern Belle + Georgia Boy (Joey Ward)

INDUSTRY PARTNER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
Goliath Consulting Group
Melissa Libby & Associates
Savannah Bee Company

HOSPITALITY HERO OF THE YEAR FINALISTS 
Gathering Industries (Alex Reethof)
RO Hospitality (Ryan Pernice)
Sterling Hospitality (John C. Metz)

RESTAURANT MANAGER OF THE YEAR HONOREE
Pepe Fundora, Casa Nuova Italian Restaurant and Cork & Glass

RESTAURANT EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR HONOREE
Katherine Najera, Willy’s Mexicana Grill

PROSTART STUDENT OF THE YEAR HONOREE
Jennifer Pacheco, Maxwell High School of Technology

CHAIRMAN'S HONOREE
Senate President Pro Tempore Butch Miller, Georgia State Senate

GEORGIA ON MY MIND| PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS HONOREES - TBD
STATE + LOCAL NEWS
Georgia Department of Revenue | Sales & Use Tax Rates Effective October 1, 2022
The Georgia Department of Revenue has posted the upcoming quarterly sales and use tax rate changes. Counties/cities with S&U tax changes include: Appling, Dekalb (Atlanta), Fulton (Atlanta), Fulton (Hapeville), Fulton (College Park), Fulton (East Point), Clayton (College Park), Greene, Pike, Screven, and Webster. Please visit the Department's website to view current, historical, and upcoming sales and use tax rate charts.

Georgia Department of Revenue | Sales Tax Bulletin - College Park, East Point, and Hapeville Municipal Option Sales Tax (MOST)s
In special elections held in May of 2022, the cities of College Park, East Point, and Hapeville successfully passed referendums imposing a 1% MOST. Unless a specific exemption applies, MOST applies to sales and uses of tangible personal property and sales of taxable services, including but not limited to the sale of food and food ingredients and alcoholic beverages as provided in O.C.G.A. § 48-8-3. You can find more information about the tax and reporting by visiting the Department's website regarding sales tax bulletin.
UNDERSTANDING NATURAL GAS PRICES
Back to Fundamentals: Understanding the factors that impact natural gas prices
In 2021, the U.S. commercial sector consumed 3,263,722 million cubic feet (MMcf) of natural gas, with about 1.6% of that in Georgia alone. The hospitality market relies on natural gas for heating, cooking and drying. It’s been the steady choice for businesses because it’s reliable and effective. But recent price increases have made natural gas management more complex than ever before.  

It’s no secret that natural gas prices have been exceptionally volatile in 2022. It’s normal for prices to fluctuate, but the natural gas market hadn’t seen prices reach such spectacular highs since 2008. From 2017-2021, natural gas prices averaged below $3—but in early 2022, prices hit $8.14/MMBtu (according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration). 

Fortunately, prices are forecasted to drop in the coming year. Still, as we’ve come to experience, nothing is set in stone. So, what factors influence natural gas prices, and is there any way to prepare for future volatility? Continue reading.
GRA ADVOCACY UPDATE
August Advocacy Recap
From representing the restaurant industry at the annual Georgia Governor’s Tourism Conference, addressing industry issues with the Fannin County Chamber of Commerce, testifying at the Senate Study Committee on Third Party Delivery Apps, to hosting a roundtable discussion with U.S. Representative Buddy Carter and Savannah-area restaurateurs, the GRA Advocacy Team has been hard at work in the last month advocating for Georgia’s restaurants. Please contact Daniel New, Director of Advocacy for any questions regarding our legislative priorities.
The GRA would also like to thank Stacey Abrams, Candidate for Governor of Georgia, and Charlie Bailey, Candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia, for presenting their policy platforms and engaging in open discussion with industry leaders and supporters.
FOUR MEANINGFUL BENEFITS TO ATTRACT QUALITY EMPLOYEES
Four Meaningful Benefits to Attract Quality Employees
Today’s job market is competitive, but salary is not the only thing that attracts prospective employees to a company. Benefits are just as important, if not more so. Here are four benefits that can make or break employee recruitment and retention efforts.

AARON SANCHEZ SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY
Culinary Arts Program Scholarship
The Aarón Sánchez Scholarship Fund will award four scholarships to the award-winning Institute of Culinary Education’s Culinary Arts program in New York City. The scholarship award includes tuition, fees and supplies, and mentorship, as well as flights to and from New York City, housing, utilities and more.

Eligibility requirements include:
- Legal resident of the 50 United State, the District of Columbia or US territories
- Between 18 and 25 years old as of January 1, 2023
- Must be of Latin heritage or ancestry
- Have one year of restaurant kitchen experience, be a graduate from the National Restaurant Association's ProStart Program, or be a graduate of a similar high school culinary arts instructional program
- Have a high school diploma or GED
- Cannot have been convicted of a felony or crime of moral turpitude

Deadline to apply is September 16, 2022. Apply today.
SUSTAINABILITY + EDUCATION
Supporting Sustainability + Education
The Georgia Restaurant Association was proud to show support to ProStart Chef Cheryl Williams of Tri-Cities High School and her students and everyone who participated at the AgLanta Eats Festival.

AgLanta.org serves as a portal to learn, share, and celebrate ways we can collectively cultivate the urban agriculture community in Atlanta. Proceeds from the event benefited the AgLanta "Grows-A-Lot" program, in association with Groundwork Atlanta and the Atlanta Mayor's Office of Resilience, which supports the conversion of vacant and underutilized parcels in low-food access areas in Atlanta to productive urban farms and gardens.
RESTAURANT DISASTER RELIEF FUND
Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund
Disasters are unpredictable — but critical support shouldn't be. The average small business loses $3,000 every day they remain closed due to a natural disaster. To help restaurants recover in times of critical need, DoorDash has partnered with Hello Alice to create the Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund. The fund supports restaurants impacted by natural disasters like fires, floods and hurricanes, and provides relief through $10,000 grants.

Eligibility requirements:
  • Must be experiencing hardship due to a state or federally declared natural disaster
  • Must be independently owned
  • Must have a brick and mortar location, with 3 stores or fewer currently operating
  • Must have revenues of $3M or less per location in the last 12 months
  • Must employ 50 people or fewer per store

View the grant terms and conditions and FAQ for additional information.
UPCOMING SERVSAFE CLASSES
UPCOMING WEBINARS + EVENTS
ELEVATE – A Menu for Change: Transform Your DEI culture, Step-By-Step
National Restaurant Association
Thursday, September 8 | 2:00PM

Youth Employment Compliance in the Food Service Industry
U.S. DOL Wage & Hour Division
Wednesday, September 14 | 11:00AM

Food Safety and Quality Assurance Expert Exchange Conference
National Restaurant Association
September 19-20 | Orlando, FL

Youth Employment Compliance in the Food Service Industry
U.S. DOL Wage & Hour Division
Wednesday, September 20 | 3:00PM

GRACE Awards Gala
Georgia Restaurant Association
Tuesday, September 27 | Georgia Aquarium

6th Annual Restaurant Legal Summit
Restaurant Law Center
October 26 - 28 | Westin Buckhead Atlanta
Register. *GRA Members receive special registration discount.
HERE'S WHAT WE'RE READING