Legislative Notes

OUR INDUSTRY NEEDS THE RESTAURANTS ACT TO PASS

BY SCOTT STENGER, STENGER GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

The COVID-19 pandemic changed our lives earlier this year and it could be some time before we get back to a normal lifestyle. The health and safety of everyone continues to be our top priority as we get closer to the distribution of a vaccine.

The hospitality industry was especially hard hit, not just in Wisconsin, but across the entire country. According to the Brookings Institute, as of August, average daily revenue was down 47.5% in the leisure and hospitality industry, as compared to 2019. Estimates are that over 420,000 small businesses have failed since the start of the pandemic.

Every day the hospitality industry is shut down, the U.S. economy loses 16,872 jobs and $923,129,128 in earnings. In Wisconsin, there were 191,000 less people employed in September 2020 than in September 2019, a reduction of 6.4%. There were 16.9 million leisure/hospitality workers in February, which dropped to 8.5 million in April and climbed back to only 13 million, a 17% decline since last year.

Small independent tavern, restaurant and supper club owners did not benefit directly from the PPP, and are still waiting for assistance to help them get back on their feet. The hospitality industry did not cause this pandemic, but it hit us especially hard, and the lack of assistance at the federal, state and local levels is extremely disheartening. It didn’t take Congress long to provide $25 billion to the hard-hit airline industry; why can’t it help the small independent businesses in the hospitality industry?

The Tavern League is lobbying our federal delegation to pass the Real Economic Support that Acknowledges Unique Restaurant Assistance Needed to Survive (RESTAURANTS) Act, which would establish a $120 billion grant program for independently owned restaurants and bars with priority given to establishments of annual revenues less than $1.5 million. The grant program would be run by the U.S. Treasury, and funds would cover costs such as payroll, rent, supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE). The legislation is drafted to include independent bar and restaurant owners that are not publicly traded, or part of a chain with 20 or more locations doing business under the same name.

The TLW will continue to fight for our members at the local, state and federal levels to help them through these difficult times.

Contact your senators today! Please email or call Sens. Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin to urge them to support the RESTAURANTS bill.

Learn more about the bill at abcnews.go.com/GMA/Food/ restaurants-bars-now-included-trillion-federal-aid-proposal/ story?id=73310022. TLW

HOW TO CONTACT SENATORS JOHNSON AND BALDWIN

Sen. Ron Johnson

(202) 224-5323 ronjohnson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-the-senator 328 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510

Sen. Tammy Baldwin

(202) 224-5653 baldwin.senate.gov/feedback 709 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510

VIRTUAL CONNECTIONS

Make tlw.org your go-to destination for everything Tavern League.

BY JENNIFER BRADLEY

Today, having a web presence is critical for businesses and organizations. Not only does a web presence prove you exist, but it’s also a cost-effective, low-effort way to share information with your customers or members. That’s why the TLW continues to invest time and effort into improving its website, tlw.org.

“As the Tavern League evolves, we’re putting more and more information on our website as a vehicle to inform our members of what’s going on,” says TLW Executive Director Pete Madland. “The days of just email and phone calls are fading away, and the use of a website is more convenient and more accessible to everybody.”

The Tavern League launched its redesigned website in fall 2018, says Becca Williams, TLW events coordinator and website administrator. “We get a lot of calls for information, so we designed the new website to answer people’s questions if it is after hours or the weekend, and we’re not in the office … so if you have a question, it’s probably been asked, and we probably have the answer on the website. It is a really great tool.”

While members (and the public) are encouraged to visit the Tavern League’s website on a recurring basis and to spend some time getting to know what’s available there, here’s a primer on how to find resources efficiently on the website, section by section, in both the public-facing site and the members-only section of the site.

While there is a Member Login button in the top right corner of the Tavern League’s homepage (both on desktop and mobile devices), members and the public can find plenty of useful information before they even log in.

Find a Member

One of the best publicly available features, says Williams, is the Find a Member section, which is just left of the Member Login button when viewing the website on a desktop computer; on a mobile device, it is the first item under the hamburger menu (the three horizontal lines in the upper right corner). This page features a member search as well as the ability to search establishments by city or county.

The page also includes an interactive map of Wisconsin; just click on the county you’re interested in to pull up the selected county’s league leaders, the county’s meeting dates and times, and local membership dues. There is an additional text link that can generate a list of all of the member bars in the selected county. This list doesn’t include the names of owners, but for the public, it does indicate which bars are SafeRide providers.

“We get a lot of calls to the office to ask whom to contact, so we made this a feature of the website that anyone could access without logging in,” says Williams. “It’s a really fast way to find out whom you need to contact in your area if you’re a member or want to become one. And for the public, noting which members are SafeRide providers is just another way to add value.”

About

The About page is chock-full of great information on the Tavern League, including its goals, code of ethics and successes. The lefthand side of the page includes quick links to additional information, including the league history, lists of state board members and district directors, and a cross-link to the Membership page.

“The About page is where you can see your board and who represents your area,” says Williams. “If you have a major issue, question or concern, and you’re not able to get ahold of local league leaders, you can contact your district directors and vice presidents … all that information is here.”

Membership

The Tavern League offers a number of membership opportunities and this page is a one-stop shop for relevant membership information. It includes a recruitment video that some local leagues find valuable in their recruiting efforts. The page has a button that goes directly to the new membership application so new members can quickly apply. (A print application is also available for download.)

A little-known part of the Membership page is the Testimonials section. These are nice reviews of the organization, says Williams, that league leaders can use for recruiting or members can share with the public to showcase the Tavern League. If you want to share your positive Tavern League experience with the world, Williams is always happy to receive member testimonials. “I will happily take member testimonials,” she says. “I would love to get more.”

Government Affairs

In this section, members and the public alike can find information on the issues Tavern League is currently engaged in. During election seasons, the league also lists its endorsements here.

A wonderful feature of this section is found directly at the top of each page: an easy-to-use legislative contact tool with three key features. First, it allows you to quickly send an email to your legislative leaders on the league’s most current issue. Second, you can sign up here to receive notifications on future action alerts by email. And third, the tool has a search function to help you identify your state and nationally elected officials, and then send them a message.

“Our hope is to bring federal and state government to you through our website,” says Tavern League Lobbyist Scott Stenger. “There is so much important information available to our members and it is just a click away. This is the best way to stay involved and informed.”

Education

For members looking for educational opportunities for themselves and their staff, the Education page is one to bookmark.

“It is a really good page for a lot of stuff that members want and are looking for, like bartending and food safety classes,” says Williams. Simply click through each option on the page to be taken to registration information.

Events

Want to know when the 2024 fall convention is going to be held? Check out the Events section.

The left-hand menu on this page includes quick links to pages featuring all of the Tavern League’s major annual events. To see all events, including local league happenings, check out the Calendar of Events link. Williams reminds local league leaders to send their county and district events to the office for inclusion on the calendar.

SafeRide

This is a great page providing patrons and the public with information on SafeRide. It includes the league’s SafeRide video, as well as a map of Wisconsin highlighting local leagues with SafeRide Programs.

“Our hope is to bring federal and state government to you through our website. There is so much important information available to our members and it is just a click away. This is the best way to stay involved and informed.” —Scott Stenger, Tavern League

A number of affiliate and corporate members offer exclusive promotions and discounts to TLW members. Go to the Members Exclusive Benefit Program page to view all of their offers.

GRAB A “COCKTAIL” AND LOG IN TO THE MEMBERS-ONLY SECTION

A “good amount” of members know there is a member login section of the website, says Williams, but they don’t understand what’s there or the benefit of logging in.

“This is the best resource for all members,” adds Williams.

For starters, you don’t need to set or sign up for a login to the members-only section of the site, because there is just one login for all members; the username is “tlwmember” and the password is “cocktail.” Once logged in, the left menu features a list of all of the information and resources available. Following are some highlights.

County Membership Lists

Unlike the information available through the Find a Member section of the public-facing website, the County Membership Lists page offers more detailed information about local league members, such as member names, identification numbers, contact information, join dates and more. This information is particularly helpful for league leaders to support their recruitment and renewal activities. And because the website updates with the Tavern League’s database every five minutes, the information is always current.

The League Directory menu item features a list of all league leaders, but it is a static list that is updated monthly.

Affiliate Members

Looking for a new point-of-sale (POS) system or need a lawyer? The Tavern League encourages members to first look to affiliate members as preferred partners.

The Affiliate Members page lists all current, active affiliate members, both alphabetically and by category. If an affiliate member has a website, the member’s name is highlighted in red and hyperlinked; just click the name to view the associated website to learn more.

“We recommend anyone who is an affiliate member,” says Williams. “These are the companies we’d love for members to do business with because of their strong support of the Tavern League.”

In addition, those affiliate members offering benefits to members have a Members Exclusive Benefit Program link, which takes users to a separate page with a full list of companies offering member benefits.

Members Exclusive Benefit Program

As mentioned previously, a number of affiliate members, as well as corporate members, offer exclusive promotions and discounts to Tavern League members. This page lists all of the members offering member exclusive benefits; some are listed on the page, but for most, a flyer with information about the benefit is linked under the company’s name.

“Whenever you’re looking for a new vendor or service, check out this page as there might be something new,” says Williams.

Media & Publications

Missed an issue of On Premise? Want to look back to the December 2018 TLW newsletter? Find it on this page, which includes monthly newsletters going back to 2017 and issues of On Premise dating back to 2015.

“They are always there, always available and updated every month,” says Williams.

Materials for Members: Forms & Documents, Signage and Logos

These three sections of the members-only portion of the website include a variety of assets Tavern League members may find useful.

For instance, the Forms & Documents section includes a new employee hire packet that can be customized to your business, a number of legal forms, the current I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form and more.

“This is a good place to check for random information and other hard-to-find business-related stuff you may need,” says Williams.

The Signage tab includes Tavern League-branded signs that members can download and print to use in their establishments, including but not limited to no smoking and no vaping signs, SafeRide posters in English and Spanish, concealed weapons signage and more. It also includes more recent additions related to the coronavirus pandemic, such as signs to remind patrons of social distancing, not entering if sick and the like.

If you prefer to have the Tavern League print the signs, click the TLW Store link at the top of the Signage page to be taken to a shopping page where you can choose the signs you’d like to have printed (for free!) by the Tavern League.

Need a TLW logo? Download it directly from the Logos page.

FEEDBACK WELCOME

The Tavern League website, says Madland, is an excellent resource for members, league leaders and the public on everything Tavern League. But he also notes that the website is constantly evolving, and that members are invited to call the office with questions or ideas for improving the website.

“We are always trying to make it more user-friendly,” he says. “Websites are always a work in progress, and if you have ideas, we will consider them.” TLW