WELCOME TO THE ILLINOIS RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION Founded in 1914, the Illinois Restaurant Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, protecting, educating and improving the restaurant industry in Illinois.     IRA EVENTS & NEWS   GOLF CLASSIC The IRA's annual Golf Classic will be held on Monday, August 3, 2009 at St. Andrews Golf & Country Club in West Chicago.  Enjoy the day with 18 holes of golf (including cart), lunch, a silent auction, raffle, an exciting awards banquet and a cocktail and “mini” Taste of Chicago reception.  The cost of the outing is $250 per player/$975 per foursome.  Special thanks to our corporate sponsors who continue to support IRA events such as the Golf Classic: Diageo, Sysco, CCMSI, Marsh, LunchClub/DineSmart, Pepsi, Coca Cola.  For more information regarding the IRA's Annual Golf Classic, please contact Jean Sheerin at the Illinois Restaurant Association at (800) 572-1086 ext. 116 or (312) 787-4000 ext. 116 or jsheerin@illinoisrestaurants.org.    Click here to register for the 2009 Golf Classic. Click here if you are interested in donating raffle and silent auction prizes.   Click here if you are interested in sponsorship opportunities.           INDUSTRY NEWS MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE EFFECTIVE 7/1/08 The minumum wage in Illinois increased to $7.75/hour on July 1, 2008. The minimum wage will also increase by an additional .25 in each of the next two years -- to $8.00 on July 1, 2009; and to $8.25 on July 1, 2010.  Click here for information on how to calculate a tip credit and overtime wage.  COOK COUNTY SALES TAX INCREASE EFFECTIVE 7/1/2008  The Cook County sales tax increased from .75% to 1.75% on July 1, 2008.  Click here to view a detailed summary of the current sales tax in Cook County and Chicago.       Illinois Restaurant Industry Facts  Locations …………...31,780 Employees …………513,100* Sales……………….$18.8 Billion Projected 2009 Economic Impact of Eating & Drinking Places: $44.7 billion  *eating and drinking places only Are you looking to open a restaurant in Chicago? Are you a current restaurant owner with questions about permits or fees? Click here to access information about permits, fees, licenses, taxes and inspections in the City  of Chicago.   CHICAGO AND COOK COUNTY TAXES AS OF 7/1/08 State Sales Tax 6.25% Chicago Sales Tax 1.25% Cook County Sales Tax 1.75% RTA Tax 1.00% Pier Tax 1.00% TOTAL SALES TAX 11.25% Plus Restaurant Tax .25% TOTAL TAX 11.50% Notes: §         The MPEA Pier Tax (1.00%) only applies to downtown Chicago restaurants §         The Restaurant Tax only applies to Chicago restaurants §         The RTA Tax affects both Cook County and the collar counties (DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and  Will).  In the collar counties the RTA Tax is .75%.

Thank you to our Corporate Sponsors for showing their dedication to our industry. 

Please visit our Corporate Sponsors today!

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Tickets are on sale now for the 2nd annual Chicago Gourmet. Chicago Gourmet A Celebration of Food & Wine   Click Here to learn more about IRA ServSafe classes and training materials Si desea informacion en espanol haga clic aqui­...  See the Latest in Industry News by Clicking Here Eat out and eat right with the help of healthydiningfinder.com View the nutrition information of your favorite menu items to help you make healthy selections next time you dine out Restaurateurs, looking for a way to cater to your health conscious diners? Click here to view a sampling of how some restaurants respond to customer demand