POS Partners for RRF, Bridgeport/Rogers Park Vaccinations, ProStart Invitational Awards
Friday, April 23, 2021
The Illinois Restaurant Association continues to engage with local, state, and federal officials to help employers and employees address concerns about COVID-19. Please see the below resources and information for your business - updated as of 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 23. *** Rogers Park and Bridgeport Vaccination Events for Chicago Foodservice Workers - Next Week 
The IRA has excited to be hosting two vaccination events next week for foodservice workers in the city of Chicago. Sign up now to receive the free Moderna NIAID (two dose) COVID-19 vaccine for restaurant, hospitality, and foodservice workers employed in the city of Chicago on Monday, April 26 from 9:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Loyola Park Field House (1230 W. Greenleaf Avenue) in Chicago. Alternatively, Chicago hospitality workers can also sign up to receive the free Johnson & Johnson (single-dose) COVID-19 on Wednesday, April 28 from 9:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Bridgeport Art Center (1200 W. 35th Street) in Chicago. The IRA encourages all operators and employees to take advantage of these opportunities to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Please share the information with your team members and colleagues in the industry. Things to Know The Moderna NIAID (two dose) vaccine will be administered at the Monday, April 26 event at Loyola Field House. The second dose will be administered at this location on Monday, May 24. The Johnson & Johnson (one dose) vaccine will be administered at the Wednesday, April 28 event at Bridgeport Art Center. Individuals must work at a restaurant, hospitality, or foodservice establishment in the city of Chicago. Vaccinations are available for those who are 18+ years of age. Vaccines will be administered by appointment only. Vaccinations are free and available to any worker regardless of immigration status. Please bring your ID. If you have health insurance, bring your card with you (health insurance is not mandatory). Please complete and bring the Vaccination Administration Form (complete page 1). The form will be emailed to you 72 hours prior to the vaccination event.
Acceptable Forms of Identification Click here to review the city of Chicago Department of Public Health's (CDPH) FAQ on COVID-19 vaccines. Click here to find vaccination locations throughout the state of Illinois. Point-of-Sale Partners Announced for Restaurant Revitalization Fund Grant Applications Yesterday, the Small Business Administration (SBA) released the names of the point-of-sale (POS) service providers that can be utilized for Restaurant Revitalization Grant applications. It appears that only two (Square and Toast) will actually support the submission of an application, but all will provide knowledge support and gross receipts documentation (Square, Toast, Clover, and NCR/Aloha). Once SBA begins accepting applications, eligible restaurants can apply directly with their POS service providers. While each POS provider is helping differently – such as building pre-packaged point-of-sale documentation – all POS systems listed are helping restaurant owners with their application submission process. Full-Service Vendors providing application submission and automation for current customers: Square and Toast. Participating Vendors providing supporting documentation and knowledge support for current customers: Clover and NCR. While SBA encourages applicants to utilize the POS system, applicants without access to point-of-sale service providers can still submit their applications electronically at restaurants.sba.gov. ProStart Invitational Week Awards Ceremony Recap 
Yesterday, the IRA Educational Foundation hosted the 2021 ProStart Invitational Culinary and Management Competition Celebration and Awards Ceremony, presented by Sysco. IRA President & CEO Sam Toia and keynote speaker Jeffrey Creswell, Sysco Regional Manager of Sales Strategy and Operations spoke to students about the future of the industry and encouraged them to embrace their passion, use their network, and push themselves to take advantage of the opportunities within the hospitality and culinary industry. Students that participated in the culinary competition created their own specialty pizza recipe. The following students won scholarships from Sysco: Caidon Hickey from Woodruff Career & Technical Center received $1250 Christen Rainer from Rich Township High School received $750 Ariel Chaney from Woodruff Career & Technical Center, Austin Lane, from Indian Valley Vocational Center, and Renata Salinas from Benito Juarez Community Academy received $500.
Students that participated in the management competition created their own restaurant concept and promotional opportunities to encourage diners to come to their restaurant. The following students won scholarships from Sysco: Congratulations to all the ProStart students that participated in competitions, and thank you to IRA Platinum Sponsor Sysco for their support to make this week possible. Click here to learn more about getting engaged with the IRAEF. Contact IRAEF Executive Director Kristen Hodges with any questions. National Public Affairs Conference Recap 
Thank you to the 30 IRA members that were able to join us for the National Restaurant Association Public Affairs Conference earlier this week. The IRA hosted six meetings with members of the Illinois Congressional delegation and their staff, where we discussed issues ranging from minimum wage and tip credit to immigration reform and hiring concerns, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, and more. Register Now - Monday Webinar with SBA on Restaurant Revitalization Fund Applications Join the IRA on Monday, April 26 at 10:00 a.m. for an exclusive webinar with guest speaker Bo Steiner, District Director, U.S. Small Business Administration, Illinois District Office, to review the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) program, documents needed for applications, and how to apply for this critical federal assistance. Click here to register for the webinar. Click here to review the RRF page of the SBA website. The SBA has not yet announced when they will begin accepting applications. Click here to review FAQs on RRF. Let's Talk Womxn Passport Dinner Supporting AAJC 
On Thursday, April 29, Let’s Talk Womxn is offering a special take-out dinner experience for two for $85, all supporting Asian Americans Advancing Justice initiatives for AAPI. Each meal will include diverse cuisine, including Korean (Parachute, Beverly Kim), Mexican (Frontera Grill, Deann Bayless), Vietnamese (Saigon Sisters, Mary Aregoni), and Indian-Latin (Vermilion, Rohini Dey).
Let’s Talk Womxn is a collaboration of women restaurateurs to counter the pandemic and build combined economic power, founded and led by IRA Advisory Council member Rohini Dey, Ph.D. of Vermilion. Click here to order your meal today. Watch on Demand - Webinar on Fresh Plans for Welcoming Guests 
Thank you to everyone that attended and our panelists from Special Events Management, Gibsons Restaurant Group, and Christopoulos Law Group for joining yesterday's webinar offering ideas to make effective and creative use of all your space to serve guests, as well as expert guidance on permits and licenses. This webinar was provided in partnership with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and the Cook County Community Recovery Initiative. Click here to watch the webinar recording. Click here to download the slide presentation. Anti-Worker Retaliation for Vaccinations Ordinance Passed by Chicago City Council Earlier this week, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance introduced by Mayor Lightfoot that prohibits employers from taking any adverse action - including termination, demotion, layoff or punitive schedule changes - against employees who take time off to get vaccinated. Effective immediately, all Chicago workers – including independent contractors – are granted a number of protections that will make it easier to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The Vaccine Anti-Retaliation Ordinance grants the following protections for all Chicago workers, including independent contractors: An employer cannot retaliate against a worker for taking time during a shift to get a vaccine. This means the employer cannot terminate, demote, discipline or take any other adverse action against a worker for taking time off to receive the vaccine. An employer cannot require a worker to be vaccinated during off-shift hours – they must allow workers to receive the vaccine during work hours, if they so choose, and they cannot retaliate against them for doing so. A worker may use their accrued paid sick leave or paid time off to get the vaccine, and their employer must allow them to use accrued paid time for that purpose. An employer that requires a worker to get vaccinated must compensate the worker for the time, up to four hours per dose, that the worker uses to get vaccinated, if the vaccine appointment is during their shift. In this case, an employer cannot require the worker to use their paid sick leave or paid time off to cover the hours missed to get vaccinated.
Employers that violate the Vaccine Anti-Retaliation Ordinance may be subject to fines of between $1,000 and $5,000 per offense. Click here to read the ordinance. Click here for a one pager from BACP's Department of Labor Standards.
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