Newsroom

News

New Report by Former Leaders of California Labor and Worker Protection Agencies Finds State’s Private Attorney’s General Act (PAGA) is Too Slow to Resolve Employee Claims and Too Little Compensation Goes to Workers

Sacramento – Today the Fix PAGA coalition released a groundbreaking new report by former leaders of the state’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA), Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) and the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), which found that employee labor claims filed under California’s lawsuit-first Private Attorney General Act (PAGA) take twice as long to resolve and provide workers only one-third of the compensation compared to employment claims reviewed by state regulators.

News

Thirty Restaurants, Hotels, and Others Launch Coalition Effort in Santa Monica to Advocate for Better Policies from City Hall
Hospitality Santa Monica is bringing together residents and businesses to fight for a safe, clean, and thriving place to call home.

SANTA MONICA, CA – Today, the California Restaurant Association (CRA) announces its growing coalition, Hospitality Santa Monica, to join together local restaurants, hotels, and community leaders as a unified voice to advocate for stronger policies from City Hall to address rampant homeless-related issues, poor public safety, and the growing costs to operate here.

News

2024 Bar & Restaurant Expo Announces Key Nightlife and Networking Events
Register to attend Bar & Restaurant Expo 2024

LAS VEGAS- Returning to the Las Vegas Convention Center March 18-20, 2024, Bar & Restaurant Expo is pleased to announce its unique networking and nightlife events, including industry meetups, happy hours, and late night parties. Registered attendees will have exclusive opportunities to mingle and make valuable connections with bar and restaurant professionals throughout the event, including:

News

Update: San Francisco Vaccine Mandate- Guidance

Effective Date: August 20, 2021

Requirement: Restaurants must require patrons, contractors, vendors and staff that are 12 years or older to provide proof of Full Vaccination before they can enter any indoor portion of a facility. Restaurants…

News

Update: PPP & State Tax Deductibility

As you know, we have been fighting hard for the statewide restaurant community as it relates to how the state treats your Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) tax deductions.

News

Tax deferrals, credits + 2021 new state and local laws

We have some news on some modest tax assistance for restaurants and what we hope is a helpful resource for compliance with new state and local laws and regulations- some enacted on emergency basis and in effect now- and others taking effect in 2021.

Our Partners

Educate Yourself in March 2020
A round-up of partner education opportunities

March 02, 2020 | KROST CPAs: Restaurant Management: Protecting Your Business (Woodland Hills)

Restaurant Management: Protecting Your Business

This seminar will focus on areas where liability insurance, EPLI, workers comp, and the review of operations impact the overall control of a business. We’ll explore how having the right policies and practices in place can minimize exposure in these areas.

Cocktail reception to follow from 4PM – 5PM

News

Restaurant Law Center releases new compliance resource on IRS-issued 226-J letters

Restaurants and hospitality companies are increasingly at risk to receive a misguided tax penalty notice due to Affordable Care Act compliance issues, despite offering health insurance to full-time employees. If you received a letter entitled 226-J from the IRS do not to ignore it or you might lose your opportunity to challenge an erroneous penalty assessment. 

Our Partners

Educate Yourself in February 2020
A round-up of partner education opportunities

February 10, 2020 | California Consumer Privacy Act: Countdown to Compliance (Online)

**There is no charge for this seminar.**

The California Consumer Privacy Act will affect virtually all companies doing business in California. This new law is one of the most stringent data privacy laws in the country. If you have a business that does business in California, this is a law you MUST be familiar with. 

This webinar will cover:

Our Partners

Educate Yourself in December
A round-up of partner education opportunities

December 12, 2019 | Legal Webinar: What Do You Need to Do in January 2020 (Online)

January 1, 2020 is right around the corner; be sure you are ready for the New Year and the new legal obligations it brings.

Join Lizbeth (“Beth”) West, Chair of Weintraub Tobin’s Labor & Employment Group for this one-hour webinar in which she will provide a brief overview of some new employment laws and recommend steps employers can take to ensure compliance by January 2020. Topics to be discussed include:

Program Highlights

Member Development

CRA grows as restaurant laws and trends ever-shift

Listen in as they discuss why the CRA is more valuable than ever to the independent operators that make up 80 percent of the association’s membership. Topping the list: advocating for fairer legislation impacting restaurants, providing free legal resources, discounts for insurance and other services, and training — especially for mandated sexual harassment prevention training beginning in 2020.

Government Affairs

2018 Legislative Update

While the end of the legislative session was August 31st, Governor Brown had about a month to determine the fate of the legislation approved and sent to him. September was a critical month as the state government affairs lobbying team shifted focus to solely lobby the Governor’s office and state agencies that would be on the implementation side of the hundreds of proposed laws awaiting Governor Brown’s signature or veto.

Our Partners

What is a chargeback and how can one be avoided?

Rule #1 of running your restaurant is to keep expenses as low as possible while eliminating unnecessary costs. And yet, one of the essential investments any restaurant needs to make is the ability to accept credit cards and a variety of other payment options.

Member Development
LA Chapter members and Board

Chapter Focus: Los Angeles

The California Restaurant Association actually began in Los Angeles in 1906. Then, it was called the Los Angeles Hotel and Restaurant Men’s Association.

Our Partners

No Signature Required

As of April 2018, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and Visa no longer require merchants to obtain signatures at the point-of-sale for credit and/or debit transactions.

Our Partners

Protect Yourself: PCI, EMV and You

This article will give you a quick glimpse into what you need to do to protect yourself from the looming threats of non-compliance with PCI (Payment Card Industry) and EMV standards.

Member Care

Member Benefit: Free passes to the NRA show

As part of your CRA Restaurateur membership, you receive a dual National Restaurant Association membership, which makes you eligible to receive one complimentary badge to the NRA Show. 

Government Affairs

Restaurant Day FAQ
What is Restaurant Day at the Capitol?

California Restaurant Association (CRA) Restaurant Day at the Capitol is an annual event sponsored by CRA, where restaurant owners and operators like you gather to learn and practice lobbying for industry legislation at the state level.