Minnesota Restaurant Association

DRIVING THE GROWTH AND SUCCESS OF MINNESOTA'S HOSPITALITY BUSINESSES THROUGH KNOWLEDGE SHARING, ADVOCACY, AND WORKFORCE SUPPORT AND DEVELOPMENT

INDUSTRY & MEMBERSHIP PROMOTION: HOSPITALITY MINNESOTA IS A RESPECTED AND INFLUENTIAL THOUGHT LEADER AND AN ADVOCATE FOR THE BROAD RANGE OF THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY THROUGHOUT MINNESOTA, INCLUDING FOOD SERVICE, LODGING, RESORT, CAMPGROUND, EVENT, AND ATTRACTION BUSINESSES. HOSPITALITY MINNESOTA CONTRIBUTES TO THE PROSPERITY OF ITS MEMBERS BY PROVIDING STRONG ADVOCACY, VALUABLE RESOURCES AND ACCESS TO KNOWLEDGE AND TOOLS THAT ENHANCE BOTH OPERATOR EFFECTIVENESS AND THE IMAGE OF THE INDUSTRY.DUE TO THE IMPACT OF COVID, MUCH OF HOSPITALITY MINNESOTA'S PUBLIC-FACING WORK TRANSITIONED TO ONLINE ENGAGEMENT. THIS INCLUDED ENGAGING WITH THE MINNESOTA MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, THE MINNESOTA GOVERNOR, MEMBERS OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE, COUNTY, AND CITY OFFICIALS, CONTINUING ITS CONSTANT EFFORT TO GUIDE POLICY AND REGULATORY ISSUES ON THE NATIONAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LEVEL.

WEBSITE AND PUBLICATIONS:HOSPITALITY MINNESOTA MAINTAINS A WEBSITE, WWW.HOSPITALITYMINNESOTA.COM, THAT PROVIDES TIMELY RESOURCES AND INFORMATION FOR ITS MEMBERSHIP. IT ALSO PROVIDES MEMBERS WITH INDUSTRY & OPERATIONS INFORMATION, ACCESS TO INDUSTRY RESOURCES SUCH AS TRAINING, EDUCATION, AND EVENTS BY SENDING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS ON A REGULAR BASIS VIA THE MEMBER UPDATE. THE ASSOCIATION ALSO PUBLISHES THE LAW REVIEW, A BI-ANNUAL LEGAL GUIDE OUTLINING STATE AND FEDERAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS PERTAINING TO THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY IN MINNESOTA AND AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS ONLINE VIA THE MEMBER PORTAL.OVER THE PAST YEAR, HOSPITALITY MINNESOTA HAS SERVED AS A VISIBLE AND VOCAL THOUGHT LEADER, ADVOCATING FOR THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY BY BEING FEATURED IN HUNDREDS OF TELEVISIONS, RADIO, PRINT AND ONLINE MEDIA STORIES ON NATIONAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LEVELS.

EDUCATION:THE ASSOCIATION CO-SPONSORS CLASSES FOR FOOD SAFETY TRAINING THROUGH THE NATIONAL RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION'S SERVSAFE FOOD PROTECTION MANAGER CERTIFICATION PROGRAM AND FOR THE RE-CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MINNESOTA FOOD MANAGER'S LICENSE. OTHER TOPICS OFFERED THROUGH SERVSAFE INCLUDE FOOD HANDLER, ALCOHOL, ALLERGENS, AND AN EMPLOYEE WORKPLACE EDITION THAT FOCUSES ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT PREVENTION. HOSPITALITY MINNESOTA PROVIDED ITS MEMBERS WITH A WIDE RANGE OF WEBINAR TOPICS THAT INCLUDED COVID-RELATED SAFETY AND OPERATIONS, STATE AND FEDERAL FINANCIAL AID PROGRAMS INFORMATION, AS WELL AS LEGAL, FINANCE AND MARKETING INSIGHTS THAT CAN BE APPLIED TO THEIR BUSINESS. HOSPITALITY MINNESOTA SUPPORTS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A WORKFORCE PIPELINE THROUGH THE HOSPITALITY MINNESOTA EDUCATION FOUNDATION, ENGAGING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS PURSUING CAREERS IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY. HOSPITALITY MEMBERS MENTOR AND SUPPORT THE PROSTART CULINARY AND HOSPITALITY TOURISM MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS CURRICULUM THAT IS TAUGHT IN 100 HIGH SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT MINNESOTA, DEVELOPING THE HOTEL/RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT AND CULINARY ARTS SKILLS OF THE FUTURE WORKFORCE.