Back Cover of RS&G

Among the best investments you can make when starting or expanding your restaurant is to join a restaurant association. Local, state and national restaurant associations represent owners at all levels of government, provide rich member benefit programs, and offer invaluable industry contacts and a knowledge base that can help you be more efficient and profitable. And talk about a great deal!

The real dollar value of a restaurant association far exceeds the cost of dues, even if you only consider the lobbying and representation, which is not available from any other source. Add the many tangible benefits, and restaurant association membership can be the difference between success and failure in starting a restaurant.

No one argues that starting or expanding a restaurant in today’s business environment is not a complex and time-consuming task. Laws vary from one jurisdiction to the next, distribution channels fluctuate, and just staying abreast of regulations and how they affect your business can be daunting.

Restaurant association membership can help you navigate the tangled bureaucratic and regulatory environment with information and assistance on legal and risk management issues, such as workers’ compensation and liquor control. And as they help you dodge obstacles and challenges, restaurant associations help keep your business on course toward financial success with return on investment profiles, profitability targets, special vendor arrangements, and a host of other advantages and tools.

Restaurant association membership keeps you in touch with your industry colleagues, both down the street and across the country. You can learn what your peers are doing in a collegial setting; however, these associations are far more than just social clubs. They give restaurateurs a collective voice that’s absolutely necessary in today’s special-interest political environment.

But that collective voice is only as loud as the number of individual voices. More members mean greater representation and bargaining power, and better, broader and more affordable benefits. Participation in your restaurant association not only makes sense, but, frankly, it is the right thing to do — for your investors, your employees, your fellow restaurateurs, and for you.

A network, a voice, and a rich source of business resources are ingredients for success in the restaurant business. That’s why your restaurant association deserves your support and membership dollars. Join today.