Washington Restaurant & Lodging Magazine February 2016

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Nevertheless, not all restaurants experience this kind of slowdown in the winter months. Tacoma’s Cloverleaf Pizza is a case in point.

Inside

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Features

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Make the Most of the Seasons

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2016 Culinary Forecast

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Food Services of America Points the Way for Sustainability and Local Sourcing

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Full Steam Ahead for Washington Lodging

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Lodging Overview 2015

In Every Issue 14

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President and CEO: Truly Cutting-edge

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News Briefs

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Government Affairs Updates 1/21/2016 2:59:24 PM

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Lex on Tech: Tech Trends Coming Your Way in 2016

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Education Foundation: It’s About More Than the Food

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Calendar/New Members

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Marketplace

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Ask the Expert: Reduce Your Menu to Fuel Performance

& Lodging Association’s Lodging Industry Trends released economic chain represents eight percent of GDP or $1.4 stry added more than 30,000 new hotel jobs and more than onsecutive job creation.

WA S H I N GTO N

February 2016

On the cover

try is stronger than ever, providing jobs, and making commuFood, menu, lodging — these “This industry has seen five years of consecutive job creation are theisbasic g jobs with benefits and rising salaries. Our story aboutbuilding blocks of the hospitality industry. guest needs that boost travel and tourism promotion.”

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Whether you run a hotel or own a restaurant, you need to know the latest trends in these areas, n and Washington Restaurant on, up six percent & Lodging’s February 2016 e: $660.3 billion and $280.2 billion, respectively issue is your primary source of er spending rose by nearly 6 percent information. es to 53,432 properties Washington Restaurant Association 510 Plum Street SE, Suite 200 Olympia, WA 98501-1587

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EDITORIAL STAFF Publisher, Anthony Anton Executive Editor, Lex Nepomuceno Managing Editor, Paul Schlienz Contributing Editor, Andy Cook Contributing Editor, Stephanie Davenport Contributing Editor, David Faro Contributing Editor, Evan Fassler Contributing Editor, Marianne Scholl Research Editor, Sheryl Jackson Art Director, Lisa Ellefson JOINT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE WRA Chair, Phil Costello Stop n’ Go Family Drive In WLA Chair, Matt Van Der Peet Westin Bellevue Hotel WRA EXECUTIVE TEAM President and CEO, Anthony Anton Vice President, Teran Petrina Director of Business Development, Ken Wells Director of Communications & Technology, Lex Nepomuceno Director of Education, Lyle Hildahl Director of Government Affairs, Bruce Beckett Director of Internal Operations, Kylie Kincaid

President and CEO

Truly Cutting-edge

By Anthony Anton Top restaurant trends yet again point to an industry that is leading social change.

What’s interesting to me about the National Restaurant Association’s culinary forecasts is that over the past few years the trends have moved from specific foods to socially impactful, overarching trends.

Don’t get me wrong. As you look at the broader lists, you will still find specific food trends such as house-made sausage, artisan ice cream or heirloom apples. But if you look at the most recent annual survey of nearly 1,600 professional chefs who are members of the American Culinary Federation, you’ll see that social trends such as local sourcing, healthy choices and environmental sustainability continue to rule the top of the menu trends, from overall culinary themes to other trend categories like main dishes and kids’ meals. Also prominent are various takes on global flavors.

“True trends evolve over time, especially when it comes to lifestyle-based choices that extend into other areas of our everyday life,” explains Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of research for the National Restaurant Association. “Chefs and restaurateurs are in tune with overarching consumer trends when it comes to menu planning, but add their own twist of culinary creativity to drive those trends in new directions. No one has a better view into the window of the future of food trends than the culinary professionals who lead our industry.”

Riehle is correct. The 2016 Culinary Forecast highlighted in this issue is the fourth survey in a row in which the majority of top trends are based on lifestyle-based themes.

Compare that to just 10 years ago, when only one of the top 20 trends was based on a broader social trend.

510 Plum St. SE, Ste. 200 Olympia, WA 98501-1587 T 360.956.7279 | F 360.357.9232 www.warestaurant.org │walodging.com Letters are welcomed, but must be signed to be considered for publication. Please include contact information for verification.

Reproduction of articles appearing in Washington Restaurant & Lodging Magazine are authorized for personal use only, with credit given to Washington Restaurant & Lodging Magazine and/or the Washington Restaurant Association.

Articles written by outside authors do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Washington Restaurant Association, Washington Lodging Association, their Boards of Directors, staff or members.

Products and services advertised in Washington Restaurant & Lodging Magazine are not necessarily endorsed by the WRA or WLA, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the WRA, WLA, their Boards of Directors, staff or members.

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES MAY BE DIRECTED TO: Michelle Holmes Allied Relations Manager 206.423.3902 michelleh@warestaurant.org Washington Restaurant & Lodging Magazine is published monthly for WRA and WLA members. We welcome your comments and suggestions. email: news@warestaurant. org, phone: 800.225.7166. Circulation: 6,310.

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2016 is going to be a year in which the basic restaurant model is going to be shattered and will have to be rebuilt due to political policies that are creating a new reality for running a hospitality business. But in creating your new business model, please bake in the following reality: The newest generation of paycheck earners has a vastly different approach to our industry than the generation that is retiring.

Eating out will no longer be viewed as a luxury, but rather as a necessity. Expect the number of times that a person eats out per week to grow substantially, and as it does, diners’ expectations will change.

If you are eating out eight or more times a week, your reality dictates that you have:

More choices (The 20-year trend of more restaurant menu themes and more ethnic cuisines reflects this.)

More health-conscious choices (No one can survive on pizza every night.)

More awareness of how your dining dollar impacts the community and the planet More interest in how restaurants support your own local economy Thirty years ago, if you only ate out once a month for a special occasion, why would you pause and think about any of this? But when you are spending the majority of your food budget in restaurants, these things matter. New realities affect your priorities. lf our focus continues to match consumers’ long-term preferences, our industry will thrive in spite of all the obstacles. And when our industry helps lead and supports positive social change, the public’s trust in us, and engagement with our businesses, will continue to increase. Please consider this as you re-shape your restaurant for the years ahead. 

Primary Source of Information | News Briefs

WRA Overhauls warestaurant.org Website, Optimized as Your Primary Source of Information WRA recently unveiled its new website at www.warestaurant.org that includes improved search capabilities and mobile optimization. The goal for the updates is to make it easy for members to find what they are looking for as quickly as possible. As a result, menu items have been reorganized to include full service, quick service and lodging categories. Now, members can simply click on one of the categories to quickly filter content. The new site also features a bolder visual approach that allows the association to present more descriptive graphics and labels.

asked to do so by L&I’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health. If you report under different NAICS codes, you may not be exempt. Hotels are not exempt and must post Form 300A so that it is visible to current employees from February 1 to April 30. All employers, including those partially exempted by reason of company size or industry classification, must report any workplace incident that results in a fatality, in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye. To learn more about OSHA recordkeeping requirements, visit www.osha.gov/ recordkeeping.

“We wanted to make it as easy as finding information on Google,” said Lex Nepomuceno, WRA’s director of communications and technology. “We made search features prominent on almost every page of our site and are making greater use of descriptive keywords and labels – terms that every member will understand.” To check out the new site, go to www.warestaurant.org.

Treasury Department Extends ACA Employer Reporting Deadlines Employers with more than 50 fulltime equivalent employees now have until March 31, 2016—two months beyond the Affordable Care Act’s original February 1 deadline—to give individual employees forms that report offers of 2015 health coverage and the coverage provided. The extension applies to Form 1095-B, Health Coverage and Form 1095-C, EmployerProvided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage. The Treasury Department also gave affected employers more time to file information returns with the IRS on 2015 health care coverage.

The new deadlines for reporting to the IRS are May 31 for employers who file returns on paper, and June 30 for electronic filers—three months later than the original deadlines of February 29 and March 31. For a simplified ACA cheat sheet and some tips for what’s ahead, go to www.wra.cc/0216a.

Do you need to post an OSHA 300A Injury & Illness Form for 2015?

Under OSHA’s revised recordkeeping and reporting requirements which went into effect in 2015, each year on February 1 non-exempt employers with 11 or more employees must post an OSHA Form 300A that summarizes all occupational injuries and illnesses that occurred at the worksite during the previous year. Full-service restaurants (NAICS Code 7221) and limited service eating places (7222) are on the list of partially exempt industries, and in Washington state must only maintain OSHA injury and illness records if

2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Released In January the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture released the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 20152020. The Dietary Guidelines inform the development of the U.S.’s food nutrition policy and provide recommendations to Americans about the food and beverages they consume.

USDA and HHS update the guidelines every five years. For more information and to review the National Restaurant Association’s analysis of the guidelines, go to wra.cc/0216b.

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Government Affairs Updates

Spokane City Council Approves Paid Sick Leave On Jan. 11, 2016, the Spokane City Council passed by a vote of 6 to 1 a mandatory paid sick leave ordinance that will apply to most employees working in the city. Your Government Affairs team worked closely on this issue, and the Spokane City Council included many of our suggestions into the ordinance. Some details still need to be ironed out such as enforcement, which will be addressed by the Council in October. Key components of the ordinance, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2017, include:

Businesses with up to nine employees must provide

three days of paid leave and businesses with 10 or more employees must provide five days of paid leave each year.

An employee may carry over up to 24 hours of unused leave into the next year.

A new business has one year from the date it obtains a business license to provide paid leave to employees.

Employees are not required to provide a doctor’s note when taking their paid leave.

This ordinance does not apply to seasonal or temporary workers, work-study students, independent contractors or those employed by a firm engaged in construction work.

Instead of using their paid leave, employees may elect to work additional hours or shifts during the same or next pay period to compensate for hours not worked due to sick time.

To help our Spokane members navigate this new law, we’ve published a Spokane Paid Leave Survival Guide at www.wra.cc/SpokanePaidLeave.

Seattle Strengthens Labor Laws with Enforcement Penalties Ordinance At the end of 2015, Seattle Mayor Ed 8 | warestaurant.org

Murray signed a new ordinance modifying the enforcement procedures and penalties for the city’s wage theft, minimum wage, paid sick and safe time, and job assistance ordinances.

The ordinance provides workers with a private right of action to pursue labor standards claims in court; increases the recovery amount for wage theft to three times the amount owed plus 12 percent interest; and strengthens the Office of Labor Standard’s (OLS) ability to identify businesses that are failing to comply with labor standards requirements. It also grants OLS flexibility in determining penalties.

The WRA/WLA position has been to hold bad actors accountable while ensuring that the vast majority of employers doing the right thing are not subjected to unnecessary burden and potential liability for honest mistakes or the actions of others. While there are still issues with the ordinance, your local Government Affairs team made progress in securing improvements to the final document.

The new ordinance went into effect on Jan. 16, 2016, and beginning April 1, 2016 all Seattle employers must post an OLS educational poster outlining the provisions of Seattle’s new labor laws. The poster has not yet been published, and your local Government Affairs team is closely monitoring the drafting process of this and other educational materials.

For a full review of the ordinance, go to www.wra.cc/0216g.

Our New Member Engagement and Grassroots Manager The WRA/WLA Government Affairs team has expanded to include Kaare Ness as the team’s member engagement and grassroots manager. Kaare was the grassroots coordinator for the Washington Association of Realtors and he has served as the legislative assistant to Representative Mike Hope. He has also worked in banking helping restaurateurs with loans and merchant services. If you have any questions about getting involved in your association, please contact him at kaaren@warestaurant.org.

—Evan Fassler

Keep Up with the Legislative Action Washington State Likely to Face Minimum Wage Initiative in November In January, an SEIU and UFCW union-backed coalition called Raise Up Washington filed a statewide initiative to raise the minimum wage and require paid sick leave benefits.

The initiative would increase the minimum wage to $13.50 over four years starting in 2017. It also has a paid sick and safe leave element that would provide that employees accrue one hour of sick leave for every 40 hours worked. There is no limit in the initiative on how much time an employee is entitled to, but it appears that, over time, the initiative could provide up to 12 days of sick leave.

The initiative is now under review by the Attorney General’s office and the Code Reviser for technical drafting errors. The AG’s office will draft the official ballot title and ballot statement. Once those tasks are completed, the coalition has until July 8 to submit approximately 250,000 valid signatures of registered voters to qualify the initiative for the November ballot.

The WRA and WLA support a statewide solution to increasing the minimum wage crafted by the state legislature. While we support a phased-in approach, we believe wage and benefit policies should result from legislative dialogue between elected leaders.

The solution should also address the complexity of employment, including how to get first-time employees into the work force, how to address all forms of compensation received by employees, and what to do with the patchwork of laws being created at the city level. The proposed initiative does none of this.

We are in favor of a minimum wage increase done the right way, and the right way is to incorporate the concerns of business and workers - instead of a simple ”yes” or ”no” vote.

The need for a statewide solution is underscored by the continued interest at the local level in increasing the minimum wage city by city. There are discussions about increases at the city council level in Olympia and Spokane, and in 2016 more cities could follow Seattle, SeaTac and now Tacoma in setting local minimum wages.

Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland states the case well. “Statewide policies will benefit workers across the entire state and provide certainty and efficiency for businesses. This will eliminate confusion for consumers and taxpayers because it will allow one organization to enforce and administer the law, instead of dozens of cities setting up a patchwork of regulatory programs,” she says.

Tacoma voters approved a $12 minimum wage in November, and that city joins SeaTac and Seattle in setting a municipal minimum wage. There are now local minimum wage discussions at the city council level in Olympia and Spokane, with more cities possibly following suit in 2016.

The WRA/WLA Government Affairs team will continue towards a statewide solution crafted through the legislative process. Stay informed by joining the WRA/WLA Government Affairs Committee. Email juliag@warestaurant.org for more information.

—Stephanie Davenport

As we go to press, the 2016 legislative session is just kicking off, and by the time you read this issue, the action will be in full swing. To stay up to speed on the fast-moving action on the Hill, be sure to read WRA and WLA’s weekly email, Hot Off the Grill.

This online newsletter, AKA “HOTG,” details the who, what, when and where of the state legislative session. Read it each Monday during session to find out about the latest legislative action and to learn about bills, hearings and hospitality-focused policy proposals.

Subscribe by emailing StephanieD@ warestaurant.org.

Session Deadlines: January 11 First day of session

February 5 Last day to read in committee reports (pass bills out of committee and read them into the record on the floor) in house of origin. February 9 Last day to read in committee reports in fiscal committees. February 17 Last day to pass bills in house of origin. February 26 Last day to read in committee reports (pass bills out of committee and read them into the record on the floor) from opposite house. February 29 Last day to read in opposite house committee reports from fiscal committees. March 4 Last day to pass opposite house bills (except initiatives and alternatives to initiatives, budgets and matters necessary to implement budgets). March 10 Last day allowed for the regular session.

February 2016 | 9

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Lex on Tech

Tech Trends Coming Your Way in 2016

By Lex Nepomuceno

Each new year typically ushers in new waves of technologies, gadgets and tools because of the annual Consumer Electronics Show that takes place in early January in Las Vegas. Oftentimes, these are evolutions of existing technologies or mass market rollouts of devices that have been in development for years. With the thousands of devices introduced, businesses must sift through this mass to find the handful of real gems that could have a significant impact on their operations. We’ll make this process easier by highlighting three important technologies to watch in 2016.

Virtual Reality Headsets and 360-degree Videos and Photos Facebook-owned Oculus Rift will finally make its way to consumers in March. With it comes a whole slew of competing devices aimed at immersing users in a virtual reality experience.

The terms “virtual reality” and “360-degree video” essentially mean the same thing. Imagine putting on a device that places you in the middle of a hotel or restaurant in Hong Kong.

Now picture a video on your website that lets your future guests “walk” around and look at your business as if they were there, no device needed.

Impact on hospitality: Expect technology companies big and small to adopt some sort of virtual reality experience as a way for you to tour their businesses as a potential guest. Whether or not you should dive in now will be up to you, but the technology should finally start receiving mass adoption this year.

Specialized Mobile Apps “Everyone” has a smartphone these days, and almost everyone installs and uses at least a handful of apps.

Anything from games to navigation to new social media platforms; even the most amateur smartphone user has something installed that is beyond the core functions of a phone.

Impact on hospitality: With usage of mobile apps nearly ubiquitous, it is increasingly easy to overlook new applications available to business owners and consumers alike. Whether you are an iOS or Android user, be sure to “rediscover” your app store at least every other month.

From apps to track productivity to news services, you will likely be surprised by what your smartphone is now capable of doing.

Voice-operated Devices Up until last year, there were three major players driving voice interactions with their mobile devices: Apple’s Siri, Ask Google and Microsoft’s Cortana.

Everything changed when Amazon rolled out the Echo and consumers were instantly teleported to a Star Trek-type experience with its Alexa voice assistant. Users were able to speak in a regular, conversational structure without having to turn on a computer or being near a smartphone. I personally use the Echo on a daily basis, giving it natural commands like “Alexa, turn off the living room lights” or “Alexa, what time is the next Seahawks game?”

Natural conversations with our devices and access by voice command to the entire knowledge base housed on the Internet are now realities.

Impact on hospitality: Voice-operated devices similar to the Echo are expected to take off in 2016. As a result, it would be prudent for forward-thinking business owners to start looking into how this technology can help them with their business. For example, imagine drive-thru operations integrating voice technology as a way to assist in the order-taking process; or furnishing hotel rooms with voice-activated technology that allows the guest to order room service or schedule a massage without picking up the phone. For $200 per device, this can be done rather inexpensively, providing a nice differentiator for potential guests.

February 2016 | 11

FULL SERVICE RESTAURANTS

QUICK SERVICE RESTAURANTS

Make the Most of the Seasons

Tips for smoothing out the ebb and flow in the life of a restaurant

By Paul Schlienz

To everything there is a season. More than most industries, restaurants are well aware of this fact of life.

There are slow seasons and fast seasons, times to take stock and prepare, and times to reap the benefits of your planning.

Winter Opportunities January and February can be a tough time for restaurants.

Cold weather can lead some customers to stay home and prepare a hot meal for themselves rather than make the trek to their favorite local eatery. Nevertheless, opportunities also abound during this seemingly downtime when many restaurants cut down on staff or reduce hours in the wake of the big Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Year’s rush.

“February is actually a very good month for us,” said Scott Fraser, owner of Frasers Gourmet Hideaway in Oak Harbor.

“I wish we had a Valentine’s Day every month – it’s, by far, one of our very best days each year.”

Fraser does, however, notice a big slowdown if the weather is cold, gray and gloomy, located as he is on Whidbey Island, one of the most tourism-dependent parts of Washington.

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“With dreary weather, tourists don’t come,” said Fraser.

“Last year, however, was great. We hope we have the same kind of mild weather in 2016.”

If your restaurant faces a winter lull, this is a good time to take stock of your operations. If you do this, you’ll be able to provide appropriate staffing, order the correct amount of stores and ingredients from your suppliers, optimizing operations. You may also discover new insights into your operations – like an increase in deliveries or take-outs or more bar-and-snacks customers.

Well-thought-out marketing can also effectively limit a seasonal decline in business. If a restaurant’s business decreases during the winter or on certain major holidays, offering specials you will likely draw customers when things are slow. Early bird specials, two-for-one meals, 25 percent discounts, free appetizers or free desserts can all be effective. In the short-term, your freebies come with real costs, but these kinds of bargains can attract customers, ultimately increasing your bottom line in the long run.

Nevertheless, not all restaurants experience this kind of slowdown in the winter months. Tacoma’s Cloverleaf Pizza is a case in point.

“The end of the Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Year’s season doesn’t have a big impact on us because we are one of the few sit-down restaurants in Tacoma that serve pizza. We have events all year and people always want pizza,” said Debbie Brese, The Cloverleaf’s owner.

Seasons in the Sun Business typically picks up by the time the weather gets warmer in the spring.

“Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and St. Paddy’s Day are all huge,” said Brese.

And while restaurants are sure to be loaded with couples on February 14, Mother’s Day attracts entire families, easily filling up multiple seats at each table and bringing in more revenue for the operator.

Restaurants really do thrive during the warm summer months. With fresh ingredients in abundance, it’s a great time to get creative and try out some new recipes. The presence of more tourists always gives restaurants a big economic shot in the arm, and warmer weather often encourages locals and visitors alike to go outdoors, which can often mean a stop at an eatery.

Hotels, too, experience upticks in business during the summer when tourists are most likely to visit. Restaurants in or near hotels might also see an increase in traffic.

There are many ways for restaurants to draw customers and increase sales. Consider live, outdoor music; trivia contests; or other entertainment. Summer days and summer nights are full of potential customers. Give them an additional reason to be your guests.

Ending the Year with a Bang As the weather becomes cooler in the fall, restaurant operations typically slow down, but this is only a temporary lull. As you well know, things will be anything but slow during that period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Before you head into the holidays, take a look at your staff. Work on training and growing your staff’s capabilities during September and October. Consider having contests among your staff in order to get them excited about improvements and find out who gets the job done.

Whatever you do, make sure you enter the holiday season with a staff that delivers value and service and helps you turn first-time seasonal guests into repeat diners. Do this for Thanksgiving and the year-end holidays, and it will benefit you all year long.

“Usually, it’s one of our busier times of the year although we shut down on both Thanksgiving and Christmas,” said Fraser, whose restaurant was a state winner of the 2015 Restaurant Neighbor Award for its charitable community activities, including providing an enormous free Thanksgiving feast for his community. “People are often celebrating parties. We’re always working extra hours, including our two or three part-timers.”

And so one cycle concludes, and another begins. Pay attention to the seasons in the life of your restaurant, take advantage of the opportunities they present, and leverage what you learn from experience. Operating a restaurant can be chaotic, but if you prepare for each season, you’ll have a good roadmap to get you through the year and help you build a brighter future.

February 2016 |

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What’s Hot: 2016 Culinary Forecast The National Restaurant Association surveyed professional chefs, members of the American Culinary Federation, on which food, cuisines, beverages and culinary themes will be hot trends on restaurant menus in the year ahead. The What’s Hot in 2016 survey was conducted in the fall of 2015 with nearly 1,600 participating chefs.

Top 20 Food Trends

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1

Locally sourced meats and seafood

2

Chef-driven fast-casual concepts

3

Locally grown produce

4

Hyper-local sourcing

5

Natural ingredients/minimally processed food

6

Environmental sustainability

7

Healthful kids’ meals

8

New cuts of meat

9

Sustainable seafood

10

House-made/artisan ice cream

11

Ethnic condiments/spices

12

Authentic ethnic cuisine

13

Farm/estate branded items

14

Artisan butchery

15

Ancient grains

16

Ethnic-inspired breakfast items

17

Fresh/house-made sausage

18

House-made/artisan pickles

19

Food waste reduction/management

20

Street food/food trucks

Underutilized Fish -11%

Movers & Shakers 2015 to 2016 Up 5 Percent or More

Movers & Shakers 2015 to 2016 Down 5 Percent or More

African flavors

20%

Authentic ethnic cuisine

14%

Ethnic condiments/spices

11%

Underutilized fish

11%

House-made/artisan soft drinks

11%

Kale salads

10%

Middle Eastern flavors

11%

Fresh beans/peas

9%

Non-traditional liquors

9%

Gluten-free cuisine

8%

Pop-up restaurants

8%

Quinoa 8%

Hyper-local sourcing

5%

Flower essence in cocktails

8%

Locally produced beer/wine/spirits

5%

Dark greens

7%

House-made/artisan ice cream

5%

Coconut water

7%

Artisan butchery

5%

Whole grain bread

7%

House-made/artisan pickles

5%

Vegetarian appetizers

6%

House-brewed beer

5%

Natural sweeteners

6%

Non-traditional eggs

5%

Hybrid desserts

6%

Asian noodles

6%

Flatbreads 6% Low-calorie entrees

6%

Flatbread appetizers

6%

Egg white omelettes/sandwiches

6%

Non-wheat flour

5%

On-a-stick-items in kids’ meals

5%

Brown-wild rice

5%

African Flavors +20%

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What’s Hot: Trends & Favorites

New Top Trends in 2016 Chef-driven fast-casual concepts

#2

Fresh/house-made sausage

#17

Home delivery meal kits

#33

Protein-rich grains/seeds

#36

Small plate menus/restaurant concepts

#61

Perennial Favorites in 2016

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1

Fried chicken

63%

2

Biscuits

62%

3

Barbecue

4

Frying

5

French toast

58%

6

Pulled pork

57%

7

Hot tea

56%

8

Comfort foods

56%

9

Zucchini

54%

10

Classic pastries

54%

62% 60%

What’s Hot: Food & Alcohol Food

HOT TREND

Yesterday’s News

Perennial Favorite

1

Locally sourced meats and seafood

80%

6%

13%

2

Chef-driven fast-casual concepts

78%

9%

13%

3

Locally grown produce

77%

6%

17%

4

Hyper-local sourcing (e.g. restaurant gardens, onsite beer brewing, house-made items)

77%

12%

11%

5

Natural ingredients/minimally processed food

76%

8%

16%

6

Environmental sustainability

74%

9%

18%

7

Healthful kids’ meals

73%

10%

17%

8

New cuts of meat (e.g. culotte/sirloin cap, Denver cut, tri-tip, pork T-Bone chop)

71%

15%

14%

9

Sustainable seafood

71%

12%

17%

House-made/artisan ice cream

71%

11%

18%

HOT TREND

Yesterday’s News

Perennial Favorite

10

Alcohol 1

Craft/artisan spirits

77%

11%

12%

2

Locally produced beer/wine/spirits

77%

8%

15%

3

Onsite barrel-aged drinks

71%

17%

12%

4

Culinary cocktails (e.g. savory, fresh ingredients)

70%

19%

11%

5

Regional signature cocktails

69%

13%

18%

6

Food-beer pairings

66%

13%

21%

7

Edible cocktails

63%

28%

10%

8

House-brewed beer

63%

15%

22%

9

Food-liquor/cocktail pairings

59%

19%

22%

Non-traditional liquors (e.g. soju/sochu, cachaca)

59%

21%

10%

10

February 2016 |

17

What’s Hot: Top Trends by Category Produce

Dessert

Locally grown produce

Heirloom apples

Bite-size/mini-desserts

Organic produce

Savory desserts

Unusual/uncommon herbs

Smoked dessert ingredients

Exotic fruits

Hybrid desserts

House-made/artisan ice cream

Alcoholic beverages

Kids’ meals

Craft/artisan spirits

Healthful kids’ meals

Locally produced beer/wine/spirits

Fruit/vegetable kids’ side items

House-brewed beer

Whole grain items in kids’ meals

Non-traditional liquors

Kids’ entree salads

Craft beer

Gourmet items in kids’ meals

Appetizers/small plates

Main dishes/center of the plate

Fresh/house-made sausage

Locally sourced meats and seafood

House-made charcuterie

New cuts of meat

Vegetarian appetizers

Sustainable seafood

Ethnic/street food-inspired appetizers

Free-range pork/poultry

Seafood charcuterie

Street food-inspired main courses

Breakfast/brunch

Other ingredients

Ethnic-inspired breakfast items

Farm/estate branded items

Ricotta pancakes

House-made/artisan pickles

Traditional ethnic breakfast items

House-made condiments

Prix fixe brunches

Protein-rich grains/seeds

Regional gravy

Artisan cheeses

Preparation methods

Chef-driven fast-casual concepts

Pickling

Hyper-local sourcing

Fermenting

Natural ingredients/minimally processed food

Smoking

Environmental sustainability

Sous vide

Artisan butchery

Fire roasting

18

Culinary themes

| warestaurant.org

LODGING

FULL SERVICE RESTAURANTS

QUICK SERVICE RESTAURANTS

Food Services of America Points the Way for Sustainability and Local Sourcing

By Andy Cook

If you’re running a successful foodservice operation of any kind, whether it’s a coffee shop, breakfast bar or a quick- or full-service restaurant, you know how vital it is to be in tune with the expectations of your clientele. As a savvy hospitality operator, you pivot your practices as a matter of course, and you’ve internalized the fact that your guests reward operations that share their values and ideals.

More likely than not, those values include having food that is locally and sustainably produced.

When the National Restaurant Association asked nearly 1,600 chefs which current food trend has grown the most over that last decade, 44 percent of those surveyed said local sourcing. Looking forward, 41 percent said environmental sustainability would grow over other trends in the next 10 years.

As you can imagine, meeting this demand can be a timeconsuming endeavor. You may not even know where to start. Fortunately, Food Services of America (FSA), with whom you may already have a relationship, has made a commitment to sustainability and eco-positive products, and is growing their local sourcing farm-to-fork initiatives.

Randy Irvine, president of FSA Seattle, says that the company began incorporating sustainable practices into their culture long before sustainability was a hot topic. FSA was the first broadline food distributor in the U.S. to be certified for its sustainable agricultural and food handling practices. Its two Seattle distribution centers, as well as its distribution center in Portland qualified as Food Alliance Certified Handlers through the Food Alliance, a nonprofit offering the nation’s most comprehensive certification in sustainable agricultural and food handling practices.

These centers engaged in audits that look at energy and water conservation; quality control and food safety, the traceability of Food Alliance Certified products, and the reduction of toxic and hazardous materials.

“It’s far from an easy process, but we believe it to be the right thing to do, and it’s directly in line with our core values,” says Irvine.

FSA puts these core values into practice with innovations in solar farms and the introduction in the Seattle area of hybrid trucks and trailers outfitted with supplemental solar panels.

Under Randy’s leadership, FSA Seattle has been hard at work building partnerships with local environmentallyconscious producers and organizations.

Their Amerifresh program focuses on local and sustainable products. “We gather produce from local growers and smaller scale farms to develop systems of distribution that are local and energy efficient,” he says. “We consolidate these products to serve the needs of our customers, support the communities we serve and reduce travel emissions and time from farm to fork.”

Sustainable seafood is a top trend that FSA is also committed to helping its customers deliver. It uses several third-party certification programs to provide sustainable options, including sustainable certifications by Marine Stewardship Council and the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. FSA’s Flying Flag brand of farmed shrimp is certified by Aquaculture Certification Council, which works to ensure sustainability of farming and processing practices along with the social and welfare needs of workers.

Randy and his team also work with Cedar Grove, a composting company that diverts food waste from landfill into compost which replenishes farming soil. FSA also provides consumer compostable packaging for use in your foodservice operation. Other initiatives include an alignment with NW Agricultural Business Center, which serves as a liaison to local growers, and partnering with local producers such as Franz Bakery, Darigold, Norpac, Tillamook and Wilcox Farms, to name a few.

The eco-friendly, locally-sourced resources available to you through FSA are too innumerable to give a fair assessment of in this short article. Please contact their team to discuss your needs. www.www.fsafood.com

February 2016 |

19

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800-562-5317 20 | warestaurant.org

LODGING

Full Steam Ahead for Washington Lodging

By Marianne Scholl

Remember the dark days of the Great Recession when the wheel of commerce seemed to have ground to a halt and simply holding a steady course was a stretch goal? Those days are so over. Things are spinning again, and growth is now a byword for Washington lodging.

Built It According to AH&LA’s pipeline figures, Washington’s room count could grow by over 12,000 rooms at 77 locations over the next several years. This includes 2,352 new rooms currently under construction and 6,109 expected to begin construction within twelve months. If identified projects are completed, the state’s combined room count would expand 14 percent from 91,014 rooms in 2015 to over 103,000. Only New York state with 19 percent more rooms in its pipeline, the District of Columbia (16 percent), Texas (15 percent) and Oklahoma (15 percent) are set to grow faster.

Greater Seattle is not surprisingly on an even faster track, with an estimated 21.5 percent more rooms on their way as reported in the October 2015 Pipeline Outlook from STR®.

These projections include 10 properties with 1,601 rooms under construction and another 33 properties with close to 5,000 rooms expected to break ground in 2016.

Seattle’s strong tech economy and enviable occupancy rates certainly make the region appealing for hotel expansion.

STR® reported Seattle’s occupancy rate at 76.2 percent in 2015, pulling the state as a whole up to 68.2 percent. That compares to 65.6 percent for the U.S. hotel industry. As good as Seattle and Washington numbers sound, the yearover-year growth has been fairly flat for the past several years, with overall occupancy up 0.9 percent in 2015 from 2014 for Seattle and up 2 percent for the state as a whole. Nationally, the occupancy rate posted a 1.7 percent increase.

Plan for Millennials Millennials may not be fully in the driver’s seat of our economy, but they are driving our culture—and the future of hotels—with their never-unplug, work-wherever, and noshwhile-you-are-at-it habits.

Take the lobby, for example. Its core function as the starting point for a guest’s hotel experience hasn’t changed, says Anita Degen, a principal at Degen & Degen, a Seattle-based architectural and interior design firm specializing in the hospitality industry. “What has changed, particularly in the

past couple of years, has been a shift to moving amenities like work spaces from rooms into the lobbies.”

Lobbies are now being designed as flexible places that have a residential feel and blend into other spaces like a modern living room. They accommodate working, having a drink or grabbing a bite to eat.

“The trend is to have open spaces that flow into each other,” says Degen. “You can be in a soft seating group and still have a food and beverage experience or a work experience, or you can sit at a communal table with a bar-like feel but you might be working.”

And you’ll be in good stead if you keep millennials’ ease with technology, desire for instant communication and passion for original experiences in mind when you plan property and operations updates. Cater to their love of their smartphones and posting on social media, and you’ll be on your way.

Get Ready for More “Sharing” Up until now, owners and tenants have been at odds over Airbnb, which makes it possible for renters to sublet a bedroom or their entire apartment on a nightly basis, more likely than not in violation of their leases. They will be on the same side of the sharing economy if Airbnb’s plan to give building owners a cut of the action comes to pass.

In December, Equity Residential, AvalonBay Communities and Camden Property Trust were reported to be considering a revenue-sharing model that would bring apartmentsharing out of the shadows and create a new profit center for landlords. Equity and AvalonBay have 60 apartment complexes in the Greater Seattle area. These numbers are increasing. Equity has 1,800 new apartment units in development in Washington, including a 40-story apartment complex under construction in downtown Seattle.

February 2016 |

21

Lodging Overview 2015

Hotels are an important part of our economy, and American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Lodging Industry Trends released in late 2015 shows why. Travel revenue generated throughout the economic chain represents eight percent of GDP or $1.4 trillion dollars in 2014. The latest figures also show the hotel industry added more than 30,000 new hotel jobs and more than 100,000 new travel-related jobs, marking a record fifth year of consecutive job creation.

“This data confirms what we’ve known for so long: the hotel industry is stronger than ever, providing jobs, and making communities stronger,” said AH&LA president and CEO Katherine Lugar. “This industry has seen five years of consecutive job creation with a direct path to upward mobility. We are creating good-paying jobs with benefits and rising salaries. Our story is about evolving the guest experience to anticipate new technologies and guest needs that boost travel and tourism promotion.”

LODGING INDUSTRY TRENDS KEY TAKEAWAYS: • • • • • •

Lodging revenue sales grew from $163 billion to $176 billion Travel-related wages and salaries increased by over $12 billion, up six percent Leisure and business travelers are spending more on average: $660.3 billion and $280.2 billion, respectively Business traveler spending rose by 3 percent; Leisure traveler spending rose by nearly 6 percent Total number of properties grew from some 52,000 properties to 53,432 properties Total number of hotel rooms grew from approximately 4.8 million rooms to 4,978,705 rooms

U.S. LODGING INDUSTRY ACCORDING TO AH&LA

Figures here are derived from industry statistical research, Small Business Administration, STR, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau data, U.S. Travel Association, World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), and DKSA. Figures are based on properties with 15 rooms or more, as of July 2014.

22

| warestaurant.org

STATE ECONOMIC FACTS

LODGING BUSINESSES REPORTED TO WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE IN 2015 Q1

LODGING JOBS IN 2014

IN EMPLOYEE WAGES

TODAY’S HOTEL GUESTS

40% travel for business

The typical business traveler’s hotel stay in the US:

60% travel for leisure

The typical leisure traveler’s hotel stay in the US:

*Includes domestic and international leisure travelers February 2016 |

23

It’s About More than the Food

As a ProStart mentor, you can help aspiring chefs and restaurateurs understand the business side of running a restaurant.

By Lyle Hildahl, Director, Washington Restaurant Education Foundation

How cool would it be to have employees in your restaurant or hotel F&B that not only knew how to cook, serve or greet customers, but also understood prime cost, marketing, customer service and team work – and made it their priority to increase sales and reduce costs?

marketing, and customer service as they apply in the real world. You can be a catalyst in getting students to transition from having to study these essential business concepts to wanting to know them. Too many restaurants have closed because decision makers didn’t know how to run a business.

I was taught that in order to make a profit in the restaurant industry you needed five things: the right location for your concept; enough money to carry a loss for three years; the right marketing plan to fill seats and get people to come back; experience at the management level in both back and front of the house positions; and control over prime costs, operating expenses, and occupancy’s costs.

One ProStart student who hated math decided to tell the chef he was working for that he was dropping out of high school so he could work full-time and learn from the chef.

The chef quickly told the student that if he dropped out of high school, he couldn’t work for him anymore. He then showed the student why understanding math was important for a chef. He walked through pricing out a banquet they were planning: Food cost, including production yields. Labor cost, including different wage rates, overtime and hours that teens could work based on child labor laws. Supply costs, including plates, napkins, Sterno for chaffing dishes, etc. Miscellaneous expenses for utilities and license fees.

I had all five and still couldn’t turn a profit for the first three years. Fortunately, I had a partner with deep pockets. By year four, we made a profit and more than made up for our losses in the first three years.

I understand a chef’s desire to make everything just right, using the best ingredients and presenting the menu offerings in a way that they look like pieces of art. For high-end fine dining establishments, those skills are mandatory. For most operations, however, basics like serving hot food hot and cold food cold, following the recipe, and maintaining portion control, high volume production, consistency and teamwork are the keys to success.

In my experience as an instructor of chef wannabes, it was very frustrating to see students’ lack of focus on and interest in prime costs, marketing and customer service. It was like pulling teeth to get students excited about what it takes to make a profit and about their role as a team member working for an employer.

ProStart started out years ago replacing home economics in high schools with a career-focused food service program.

Today, it teaches both culinary and business management foundation skills. Both are important, but the same challenges exist in both high schools and colleges. Getting students to embrace the importance of business management skills, in ProStart, is a welcome challenge, and this is where you come in.

Our ProStart programs around the state need industry mentors to come into classrooms to teach prime cost, 24 | warestaurant.org

“You want to do my job, then you need to understand math,” said the chef.

The student got the message. He did not drop out of high school. He went on to graduate and to go to college using a scholarship he got from ProStart.

All of this is why the restaurant management competition component of our upcoming Boyd’s Coffee® ProStart Invitational is so important. The ProStart Invitational takes place on February 27 and 28 at Clover Park Technical College. In the management competition, students take a restaurant idea from concept to operation. They present it to a group of chef and industry panelists that score them on their business plan, including a leadership team, marketing plan, organizational structure, financial plan, floor plan and menu. Learn more about the competition at www.wraef.org/ invitational.

ProStart offers the opportunity to make a difference in these kids’ futures and the future of our industry. Sign up to judge the competition or teach a class. Invite students to your business to meet your leadership team, interview them for a job and hire them so they can learn from you. There are lots of ways to help. We hope you’ll contact us soon about getting involved. Email Bernadette Irish at bernadettei@warestaurant. org for more information. It’s our future. 

INDUSTRY CALENDAR February/March

NEW HOSPITALITY MEMBERS Auburn Wine & Caviar, Auburn

Hotel Maison, Yakima

Training

Bell Harbor Intl Cnfrnc Ctr, Seattle

Kitsap Conference Center, Bremerton

Feb. 23

ServSafe® Manager, Port Angeles

Feb. 23

ServSafe® Manager, Yakima

Bell Street Cruise Terminal, Seattle

Knockaderry, Spokane

Feb. 25

ServSafe® Manager, Tacoma

Brier Pizza & Family Restaurant, Brier

Mediterranean Breeze, Olympia

Mar. 1

ServSafe® Manager, Seattle

Mar. 8

ServSafe® Manager, Kent ServSafe® Manager, Tacoma

Celebrations Bakery LLC, Spokane Valley

Neighborhood Pub, The, Aberdeen

Mar. 17 Mar. 21

ServSafe® Manager, Kent

Meetings Feb. 10

Retro Trust

Feb. 10

MSC Sub Committee

Mar. 20

MSC

Events Feb. 27

ProStart Invitational

Mar. 20-21

Northwest Foodservice Show

Park Inn Bar & Grill, Spokane Days Inn, Bellevue Pasta Gigi’s, Battle Ground Double Eagle Steak and Seafood, Sequim

Porkchop & Co., Seattle

Econo Lodge, Ellensburg

Quality Inn, Seatac

Feed Co Burgers, Seattle

Rhein Haus, Tacoma

Freshii, Vancouver

Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Course, Snoqualmie

Gas Lamp, Spokane Train Wreck Inc., Burlington Gilded Unicorn, Spokane White Box Cafe & Bakery, Spokane Hitchcock Restaurant LLC, Bainbridge Island

NEW ALLIED MEMBERS Betayum Inc. Patrick Thach 9707 212th St SW #102 Edmonds, WA 98026 425.412.3856 thachp@gmail.com www.betayum.com Our goal is to make menu management as simple, enjoyable & productive as possible for restaurant owners. We accomplish this by providing an easy to use interface for you to create, update, and publish your menu online to your own website in realtime. We have removed the technological burden contacting a web developer just to modify your online menu. Now you can spend more time on your passion: creating amazing dishes! We created Betayum to help restaurant owners & food lovers understand each other better. As technology advances, the opportunity for interaction between customers & restaurant owner is growing. Starting with providing real time menu data to your customers, our vision is to provide you with tools that not only extend your interaction with customers after they

have left your establishment, but also provide insight into local dining trends & analytics.

FlyBuy Technologies, Inc. Chapin Henry 1321 E Pine St. Seattle, WA 98122 877.451.7908 chapin@flybuy.com flybuy.com FlyBuy makes the need to park for routine purchases obsolete. By seamlessly coordinating “curbside” pick-up between buyers and sellers through our apps, we make restaurants and food retailers more accessible: delivering irresistible convenience and increased sales.

Image Source Cindy Tsuji 12015 115th Ave NE Ste 200 Kirkland, WA 98034 425.747.7080 cindy@imagesourceteam.com imagesourceteam.com

Custom Branded Merchandise Agency specializing in corporate apparel programs, promotional merchandise, graphic design, marketing programs and incentive and recognition awards. Special Offer: We will pay for the first year. 50/50 split in subsequent years.

Site Response Jonessa Miner 7529 Old Highway 99 SE Olympia, WA 98501 360.338.2091 jonessa@site response.com www.site response.com Site Response is committed to creating a safer work environment through industry specific safety consulting and training. We value a personal relationship with our clients and aim to achieve an “effective in practice” safe work place. Special Offer: 20% discount on select items located in our store at site response.com and special pricing on CPR, First Aid and Bloodborne Pathogens training.

Marketplace EMPLOYEE BACKGROUND CHECK

FIRST AID/CPR/AED This comprehensive course covers all the basics of First Aid, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Employers in WA state are required to have first-aid trained personnel available on all shifts, if the business is not in near proximity to an infirmary, clinic, or hospital. Completion of the course provides all the necessary certifications to meet state requirements, in a fun and engaging four hour course. We also offer an optional module for Bloodborne Pathogens (BBP) training. This session is for employees that may potentially become exposed to any body fluids, either through daily job or through applying first aid to another person in need. Visit wraef.org/ training/first-aid-cpr-aed/

According to ACRAnet, the WRA employee background check partner, one-third of job applicants lie on their applications and another five percent falsify their social security number. In today’s economically challenging times, employers are more likely to see a rise in embezzlement and other potentially harmful behaviors. In fact, a reported $4 billion is lost annually to embezzlement and a violent employee incident costs employers on average an incredible $250,000. These sobering statistics make any small business owner cringe. However, employers can protect themselves with a mere $19 investment in an employee background check. Visit warestaurant.org for more information.

MEDICAL AND DENTAL COVERAGE

BIG DISCOUNTS ON OFFICE SUPPLIES

The Washington Restaurant Association and Washington Lodging Association designed a health care plan just for their members. The Hospitality Industry Health Insurance Trust (H.I.H.I.T.) enables business owners in the hospitality industry to provide affordable healthcare benefits statewide. Contact Joe Peoples at 877.892.9203 for a FREE quote.

SAVE MONEY. Discounts up to 80% off MSLP on hundreds of commonly used industry supplies and your own custom list of 75 additional items with the same steep discounts.

WRA Members sign up here: wra.cc/wraofficedepot Employees and Family sign up here: wra.cc/ officedepotemployees

WE EXIST TO SERVE YOUR RESTAURANT NEEDS

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26 | warestaurant.org

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2016

NORTHWEST FOODSERVICE SHOW

EXPLORE FOOD AND BEVERAGE SOLUTIONS Make plans to attend this year’s show in Seattle! Join thousands of foodservice professionals from every segment of the industry. Connect with hundreds of vendors on the show floor, expand your knowledge at the educational seminars, sample delicious new products and find inspiring ideas that will make the difference in your operations.

FOR BOOTH SALES/ SPONSORSHIP/ ADVERTISING CONTACT: MICHELE HOLMES: micheleh@warestaurant.org | 206.423.3902 KEVIN HANSEN: kevinh@warestaurant.org | 206.850.7595 28 | warestaurant.org

• 400+ VENDOR BOOTHS • EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS with tangible takeaways • TASTING PAVILION of beer, wine and spirits • HOT PRODUCT SHOWCASE

MARCH 20 - 21, 2016 • SEATTLE, WA WASHINGTON STATE CONVENTION CENTER Presenting Sponsor:

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through March 18, 2016 (or pay $25 at the show).

VISIT NWFoodserviceShow.com

The Northwest Foodservice Show is produced by the Washington Restaurant Association and the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association.

FULL SERVICE RESTAURANTS

QUICK SERVICE RESTAURANTS

Reduce Your Menu to Fuel Performance

By Rick Braa, CHAE

Q:

Over the last several years, my menu has continued to expand with the number of menu items. I try to cut it back a couple times per year, but every time I try to take something off the menu, guests or employees complain. What are the things to consider when scaling back the menu?

A:

Your menu is the lifeblood of your restaurant. It’s the first line of representation in your marketing message to the guest. Menus also determine workflow, inventory levels, production speed and profitability. A bloated menu is tough to read and leads to higher cost. To optimize your menu, consider the following: Reduce the size of your menu by 10 to 20 percent.

Strategically reducing the menu will produce tremendous benefits on several fronts. As the restaurant business evolves and consumer preferences change, speed is one of the most important factors when choosing a restaurant in which to dine. It’s simple math. The larger the number of items on the menu, the longer it takes the guest to order. The more items, the slower the server will be at finding an item on the POS. The kitchen is slowed by preparation of more ingredients, a larger number of stations in play at execution and so on. Training time for the trainer and trainee is reduced both in the front of the house and the kitchen when there are fewer items to explain and prepare.

Ultimately, the menu can become a choke point and a constraint for the smooth execution of the guest experience.

If a guest can depend on a restaurant to get them in and out at the guest’s pace, frequency will increase. Repeat business is the largest driver of sales in the business.

Identify items that sell well and develop menus around them.

Menus are emotional, and many times what people love is not what sells. An item can be great-tasting and beautifully presented yet fall far short on sales. Study menu item counts and find the items that sell. Stick to the data that supports carrying a menu item.

30 | warestaurant.org

Use the seasons to refresh and reduce your menu.

While this seems contrary to menu reduction, each season represents an opportunity to change things up as well as adjust pricing where necessary.

Some items won’t sell as well seasonally. For example, salads and seafood sell well in the summer; meat sells better in the fall and winter. Use this time to reduce items out of season and only bring items back that sell well.

Avoid too much external influence. Be leery of changing your menu in response to articles on how menu choices are changing. The industry is made up of many independent and chain restaurants, and many reported trends are simply the large chains trying something new or vendors trying to sell more of the same product. Large companies have wonderful research departments that influence their menus with their findings, but this is done carefully and slowly. Notice trends published by credible sources, like the 2016 Culinary Forecast featured in this issue, and consider carefully, only responding with what makes sense for your brand. Guests are also a source of influential noise. It’s important to take their input and consider what makes sense, but ultimately, the guest is looking for a restaurant that is inspired.

Reduce and use the menu to smooth efficiency of the guest, front of the house and kitchen, and you’ll see higher sales, improved profitability, better service and a better guest experience.  For more information on improving profitability and driving performance, contact AMP Services at rbraa@ampservices.com. Rick Braa is the co-founder of AMP Services, an accounting and consulting firm specializing in helping companies grow profitability.

HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS

Are you lying awake at night wondering if you are compliant with all of the healthcare laws? Let the WRA help you sleep better!

The Washington Restaurant Association has added “HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS” to our program offerings. To find out what works best for your business, visit: wra.cc/hcsolutions to walk through our healthcare options for your business.

Or, ask your broker. Don’t have a broker? Call or email and I will set you up with an expert in our industry!

Contact Stephanie Conway for more information at 32 | warestaurant.org 360.581.5788 or email her at stephaniec@warestaurant.org.