Federal energy policies increase food costs
Federal energy policies are contributing to rising food costs, the National Restaurant Association told key lawmakers this week. The NRA submitted comments to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce...
View ArticleHealth-care notice language released
The Department of Labor May 8 released model language and a template for the written notice that almost all employers will be required to provide to their employees about how to access health care...
View ArticleStudy not accurate portrayal of sodium reduction efforts
A study on sodium intake published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine does not indicate recent progress made by the foodservice industry in developing...
View ArticleRestaurant industry urges swift action on immigration reform
National Restaurant Association President and CEO Dawn Sweeney May 21 called on Congress to move quickly to pass immigration reform. In an op-ed published in the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sweeney...
View ArticleFed: Swipe fee exemption working for small banks
A Federal Reserve report released May 23 shows that an exemption designed to protect small debit card issuers from the “reasonable and proportional” interchange fee standards that cover large issuers...
View ArticleHHS releases final rule on employer wellness programs
The Department of Health and Human Services has released its final rule on incentives that can be offered to employees who participate in wellness programs that are offered as part of an employer’s...
View ArticleFinal rule on small business health exchanges released
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services this week released a final rule explaining the operation of Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) exchanges, the online health insurance...
View Article50 million Americans will dine at a restaurant this Father’s Day
Father’s Day is the third most popular holiday on which to dine out (after Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day), and the National Restaurant Association projects that more than 50 million Americans will...
View ArticleNew annual health plan fee begins next month
Employers who offer health plans could feel the impact of a new annual fee as soon as next month. Depending on when an employer’s health plan ends, the first annual fee to support the Patient Centered...
View ArticleCall for advocacy as immigration vote nears
The restaurant industry asks owners, operators and anyone in the industry who is impacted by immigration policy to contact their members of the U.S. Senate, who are expected to vote on comprehensive...
View ArticleHouse eyes bipartisan immigration reform
A day after the Senate passed bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform legislation, two key members of the House of Representatives described how they are taking a similar bipartisan approach, but...
View ArticleBREAKING NEWS: Employer penalties and reporting delayed under health care law
In a major victory for employers who have been struggling to understand and figure out how to implement the 2010 health care law, the Treasury Department announced today that it has delayed by a year...
View ArticleFAQ: Understanding Employers’ “Responsibility” in the Federal Health Care...
**NOTE** On July 2, 2013, the Internal Revenue Service announced that the penalty for employers with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees that do not provide health care coverage to their...
View ArticleIRS explains 2014 transition rules for employers under health care law
The Internal Revenue Service has released additional guidance for employers on the Obama Administration’s July 2 decision to make 2014 a year of transition and voluntary compliance for businesses on...
View ArticleRestaurateurs urged to contact Congress on health care law
Concerned about the impact of the 2010 health care law on your business? Tell Congress. Restaurateurs need to make sure Congress understands the health care law’s effect on restaurant businesses and...
View ArticleCourt upholds ruling against NYC beverage ban
In another major victory for business owners, the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, upheld the state Supreme Court’s ruling that struck down the city’s ban on the sale of sugar-sweetened...
View ArticleNew 40-hour bill introduced in House
New legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives that could change the 2010 health care law’s definition of a full-time work week to 40 hours, addressing one of restaurateurs’ most...
View ArticleHealth care law begins to kick into high gear
The biggest changes to the U.S. health insurance system in decades continue to unfold this fall, with government-run exchanges set to begin selling health plans for 2014 to millions of individuals and...
View ArticleRestaurant sales growth will continue throughout 2013
Restaurant sales bounced back in July from a recent soft patch, according to preliminary figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. Eating and drinking place sales totaled $45.8 billion in July on a...
View ArticleACA requires employers to notify employees about exchanges
As federal and state governments scramble to get new health insurance marketplaces off the ground by Oct. 1, employers face a new federal mandate under the Affordable Care Act to notify employees about...
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